Prose of Sharon

Coastal Symphony

2009-06-17T14:32:00.000-07:00

There is a precise, orchestrated moment, as dusk falls, when the Great Conductor lifts one hand out to silence the floating soprano melody of the graceful, gay birds, while with His other hand waves His baton across the field of waiting, baritone crickets, signaling them to pick up the melody with their smooth, soothing chirp, gently lulling the world into its restful slumber. All the while, the crashing waves underscore the movement with its thundering bass line, perfectly complimentary to both octaves.
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Through this Coastal Symphony, God whispers.
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It is perfect.
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He is perfect.
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Listen.
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Hear.
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Follow.
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Selah.

The Golden Courts

2009-04-24T16:35:00.001-07:00

How do you tell a team of incredible servants that you appreciate all they do?
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By holding a mock awards ceremony, of course!
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Welcome to The Golden Courts 2009~
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Hosted by yours truly, a.k.a. one incredibly dorky girl~
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As the doors to Court Street's Family Life Center opened, members of our worship team made their way down the red carpet and smiled for the paparazzi. They enjoyed a fabulous meal catered by The Wild Pear, and received awards made out of Play-Doh for such silly things as "Best injury sustained on a Sunday morning" and "Best faux hawk."

By keeping the awards light and not self-indulgent, we emphasized the fact that as members of Court Street's worship team, our goal is not to taut ourselves but rather to bring people before the throne of God. That is our ultimate goal.

But in order to accomplish that goal, these servants sacrifice so much of their time and talents in an effort to fine tune the worship experience, eliminating as many distractions as possible so that God is magnified. I can never seem to thank them enough for what they do, birthing the idea for a fun appreciation dinner.

So, thank you, team. I assure you, Play-Doh will not be your only reward.

BFFs

2008-10-15T22:33:00.000-07:00

Philippians 1:3-4

Every time you cross my mind, I break out in exclamations of thanks to God. Each exclamation is a trigger to prayer. I find myself praying for you with a glad heart.

Extra! Extra!

2008-10-09T22:52:00.000-07:00

At the crack of 9:50 (exactly 15 minutes after I pulled myself out of bed......that's right) there was a knock on the door. Under normal circumstances that early in the morning, I would have shuddered in fear, hiding my bra-less body in a dark corner, holding the mouth of my yearning-to-bark dog, waiting for the intruder to resign himself to the fact that no one was home.

But not today.

Today was the day that my husband had set up an appointment with the Cable Guy.

Did I just type that?

We have not had cable in our home for several years now. I love the fact that with just the standard channels, there are actually times when nothing is on. Yes, times when the best option is to turn the tv off and read a book or play a game with the family. I love those times. I had no desire to return to the plethora of options that keep you glued to the tv, usually tracking several "must-see" events at once.

Unfortunately, "Deal" is my husband's middle name. He simply couldn't ignore the fact that if we signed up for cable, we would lower our current high-speed internet and phone line costs, therefore paying $20 less per month for all three services than we were currently paying for just the other two.

No brainer? I don't know. We'll see.

Here's the interesting discovery I made tonight. We are all still programmed to tuning in to our old standbys. The tried and true channels that we've grown accustomed to over the years. The evening was spent enjoying shows on the channels we've always had, even though there was a treasure trove waiting for us with a touch of the remote. In fact, Ben was disappointed when he glanced at the clock and noticed that he'd missed the sports segment on the local newscast. Then he brightened and said, "Wait! I can watch Sportscenter tonight!" What a concept.

It reminds me of the untapped potential that we so often deprive ourselves of. We tarry through this world on our own power, laboring endlessly trying just to survive, when, in fact, we have the unlimited resources of an Almighty God at our disposal. It's so natural for us to rely on our own strength rather than tap into the magnificent resources of a Father that loves us so much more than we could ever know.

It's time to turn the channel.

"My grace is enough; it's all you need. My strength comes into its own in your weakness." -God

Conversation Killers

2008-10-03T13:54:00.001-07:00

Example #1

Setting: Walmart
Purpose: Purchasing one yard of purple fabric to cover the box of Aunt Lauren's remains for the memorial service
Salesperson: "Oh, what a great color! Are you making a cape for a Halloween costume?"

Example #2

Setting: Alaska Airlines flight
Purpose: Returning home from the funeral in San Jose
Flight Attendant Seth: "Did you and your girls have a great time in San Jose? Did you all go to Great America?"

This is my life lately. : )

For the First Time

2008-09-20T10:59:00.000-07:00

For the first time, she can hear a bird's call.

For the first time, she can hear the whistle of a breeze.

For the first time, she can hear the waves crash.

For the first time, she can hear the flute's trill.

For the first time, she can hear the beat of a drum.

For the first time, she can hear a friend's laugh.

For the first time, she can hear her mother call her name.

For the first time, she can hear the purr of a cat.

For the first time, she can hear the whisper of a stream.

For the first time, she can hear the roar of a lion.

For the first time, she can hear the blare of a trumpet.

For the first time, she can hear the symphony of the ages.

For the first time, she can hear the vibrato of angels.

For the first time, she can hear her Heavenly Father say, "Well done."

For the first time of many.

Ben's Aunt Lauren lived a life of silence, but no more. Yesterday, she was ushered to heaven by her savior to experience many firsts. And I have a feeling that the newness will never fade, even for all eternity.

How glorious that must be.

Question

2008-09-15T14:39:00.000-07:00

I just have one question for you:

How do you define God?

You may be close to Him, far from Him, or don't even believe in Him, but answer honestly, in your simplest terms. There is no wrong answer, this is an opinion question.

The End is Near

2008-09-11T20:46:00.000-07:00

The world must be coming to an end. It has to be.

Deciding to watch tv for the first time in a while, I found a show called, "Hole in the Wall."

This has to be the stupidest excuse for entertainment that I have ever seen in my life. People literally just have to squeeze through a hole in a wall that is coming toward them. If they are successful they receive one point. If they fail, they fall into a pool of oddly green water.

That's it.

This somehow was approved by the suits at the FOX network. Seriously? Are we being Punk'd or something?

I am now reminded why I prefer reading over watching tv for some down time.

It begs a couple questions, however.

There are shows that I enjoy watching like Lost or The Office, or pretty much anything on the Discovery Channel like Deadliest Catch, Dirty Jobs, Myth Busters, etc.

What are the shows you enjoy? And, more importantly, do you prefer Survivorman or Man vs. Wild? It tells a lot about you. Inquiring minds...or at least my mind wants to know.

Contentment

2008-09-08T14:23:00.000-07:00

Here's how I can rest easy:

"Your choices are not stronger than my purposes." -God

A Good Morning

2008-09-05T11:16:00.000-07:00

Having intentions of going to bed early and finally morphing back into the school schedule, I downed an otc sleep-aid and hit the sack by 9:30 last night. Quite a change from my summertime hours. Things were going exactly as planned. I figured I could see Gabby off to school at 7:30 (praise God she has a ride to school this year!!), then crawl back into bed until 9:00, when I'd make breakfast for Greta and start our school day here at home.

Perfect.

Until 2:45am.

Whenever the phone rings in the middle of the night at our house, it always means some sort of emergency in the church. The sound goes right through me like a lightening bolt. We've had everything from the news of a sudden death to a report that someone lit the church on fire. Unfortunately, our bedroom phone was left out in the dining room that night. I darted out of bed at record speed, charging down the hall to answer the phone, sure that someone in distress was on the other end.

"Uh, is Kim there?" came the raspy, surfer-like voice of someone obviously driving down the highway.

I've made plenty of wrong number calls in my life, so I always respond with kindness in these situations. Even at 2:45am. I apologized and explained that he had the wrong number. Then, concerned that he might make the same mistake twice, I carried the phone back with me to bed, waiting about five minutes for the second mistake phone call. It never came.

Relaxing into my pillow, I drifted back to sleep, still thinking my plan should be intact.

3:05am: the phone rings again. I had been asleep for 10 minutes. Not good. Mercy gift not high. I check the caller ID, confirm that it's Kim's friend, then decide to let the voice mail take it. Problem solved. Back to sleep.

3:15am. What? Seriously? Again?

My lack of mercy gifting is now in full force. I answer not with a pleasant "Hello," but with, "Are you looking for Kim? This is the wrong number. There is no Kim here. Please do not call this number again."

Assuring Ben that everything was ok and that it was just a wrong number, I tried to return to the land of nod.

Not successful.

I head out to get a glass of water, pick up a book and retreat to the couch, reading until 4:15am.

Needless to say, my perfect morning didn't happen. Gabby left the house without me even aware that she'd gotten out of bed. Ben left shortly after that, or so I assume.

The next thing I know, I hear a sweet voice from the kitchen call out, "Order up!"

Glancing at the clock, I am amazed to read 10:25am. Oh well. At least my intentions had been good.

My morning turned out pretty darn good, though, I'd say. This is what greeted me at the kitchen table, made by the loving hands of my sweet Greta Rose:

Succumbed

2008-09-02T18:29:00.000-07:00

It's really not like me. I still haven't even seen the first Batman movie yet (or second or third or fourth or....whatever), simply because there was too much hype around it and everyone "had" to see it. But I guess even the strongest must fall at times.

I created a Facebook Page.

Have I sold my soul to the devil? Tell me now, while there's still time to get out.

If you approve of this sort of behavior, and, in fact, have a Facebook of your own, then, "Help!" I have absolutely no idea what I'm doing or how to add things or navigate around or anything. What I have seen, though, is that it's a huge labyrinth of people. Basically, I've found that I have virtually six degrees of separation from practically everyone I've ever been introduced to in my life. It's crazy, but sort of fun all at the same time.

Advice from Blogland? Tales of your Facebook experiences? Horror stories? Delightful reunions?

The Great Outdoors

2008-08-28T21:45:00.000-07:00

Why hasn't someone ever told me that it's complete and utter heaven to go camping without the kids?

Naps. Books. Quiet. Thinking. Togetherness. Nothingness. Prayer. Dreaming. Laughing. Bonding. Fireside. Talking. Wondering. Loving. Hiking. Sitting.

Then doing that all over again.

His First Gold Medal

2008-08-27T14:30:00.000-07:00

Just for giggles.

Satisfaction

2008-08-23T13:49:00.000-07:00

God made me unique and special. One of a kind.
God made you unique and special. One of a kind.

My Bible study group just finished our summer study of the book S.H.A.P.E. by Erik Rees.

S.H.A.P.E. is an acronym that stands for:

*Spiritual Gifts
*Heart
*Abilities
*Personality
*Experiences

Reading through the book and discussing it together, we each came away with a better understanding of our individual blueprints. We saw that some of us were compassionate and others were administrative. Some of us were leaders while others of us were service oriented. Some of us were teachers and others were full of hospitality.

What we didn't find, however, was that two of us were perfectly identical. In fact, what's simply amazing is that over the entire history of the human race, no two people are exactly alike.

I am different.
You are different.
We are all just how God made us to be.

I challenge you to read I Corinthians 12 to explore this further.

What am I? My spiritual gifts are primarily administration, leadership and teaching. My heart is to instruct people and connect them to one another. My abilities are music, athletics and construction. My personality is extroverted. My experiences are full of learning how to properly express my spiritual gifts through my unique abilities and personality. Some of those experiences have been very tough lessons, while others have been rewarding mountain top experiences. All have played a part in making me who I am today.

Seeing what makes different people tick is a fascinating thing.

My friend, Julie, affectionately refers to me as her "Man Friend." I take that as a compliment. While she is planning a tea party, I am strapping on my tool belt.

I love tools. I love constructing things. I love the satisfaction of finishing a project. I love resting when a project is done. Both the construction and the resting bring me satisfaction.

I found the perfect project for me:

God made me unique and special. One of a kind.
God made you unique and special. One of a kind.

Now it's our responsibility to give those gifts back to Him in service toward one another. You'll find it is a very satisfying thing.

True Story

2008-08-21T01:03:00.000-07:00

Date: 8-20-08
Time: 6:18pm pacific daylight time
Location: The outside eating area of Taco Del Mar

I touched a bat and I liked it,
Its fur like velvet carpet.
I touched a bat just to try it.
Hope I don't end up real sick.
It felt so soft, it felt so weird.
Don't think I want this new pet.
I touched a bat and I liked it.
I liked it.

There. You now have alternative lyrics to remember. You're welcome.

Braced......Again

2008-08-14T19:25:00.000-07:00

In the classic tradition of her mother and her older sister, Greta has joined the wonderful world of orthodontia.

Greta and her good friend, Chloe, both fresh off the slip-n-slide to take the edge off of the 103 degree day, jumped in the car to head for the offices of Dr. Amborn, the best orthodontist there is! Too bad Chloe couldn't stay for the appointment, but as you can see in the picture, she has already had an appointment of her very own.

Gabby and I knew exactly what she was in for.......

So far, so good.........

And, voila!! I didn't think it was possible for Greta to get any cuter than she already was, but apparently she can!

And it didn't seem to hinder her piano playing skills!

Let's Stroll, Shall We?

2008-08-07T17:13:00.000-07:00

Down Memory Lane!
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The Directions:
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1. Leave a comment on my blog. (Even if you never have before!!!!--I know you're out there!!) In the comment, recall one memory that you and I had together. It doesn't matter if you knew me a little or a lot, anything you remember! Please be nice to me! :-)
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2. Next, re-post these instructions on your blog and see how many people leave a memory about you.
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My friend Angela just did this on her blog and I thought it was a fun one!

Camp Cherith Was SOOO Griffo!

2008-07-29T13:50:00.000-07:00

What an awesome week! So much fun and so many highlights!
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Last year, camp was a growing experience in my life, and it even made me question if I did, indeed, want to return this summer. But as I read back my blog entry upon returning last year, I am again reminded that every year brings about its own experiences, lessons, and purposes.
This year, God knew exactly what I needed: a group of spectacular high school girls, an incredibly awesome co-counselor, amazing Bible studies, and an all-around super FUN week!
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Here are some highlights:
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Sparrow and Ossie: The best team of high school counselors ever!

An awesome Laser Tag extravaganza in the forest!

Teaching Greta how to be a most excellent archer.

80's Night!! It was totally tubular!

Greta's cabin had a lot of fun, too!

So, yes, camp was totally griffo this year!

What? You don't know what "griffo" means? You are so totally out of it!

Actually, at the beginning of the week, our cabin decided to make up a word that we would use as "cool" and see if we could get the middle school girls to start saying it by the end of the week. Needless to say, it was easier than we could have imagined! By Tuesday, the middle school girls were not only saying it as if they'd been saying it all their lives, they were actually explaining to me what it meant! By Friday, the whole camp had made it part of their regular vocabulary.

Where'd we come up with "griffo?" Well, Grifo is the name of Sparrow's new puppy, which came from some sort of car make or model that Mr. Ranch is particularly fond of.

Girls. They're so griffo.

Almost a Month?

2008-07-19T00:03:00.000-07:00

Oh my.

Time has, in a way, flown, and it has, in another way, gloriously meandered through a gorgeous summer so far.

The internet has not been calling my name in the slightest, so I am, unfortunately not up to speed on all the Blogland goings-on. That is not to say that I haven't thought about you, my dear Blogland friends. I have, in fact, wondered how the farm is, or if the new garden is coming in nicely, or if Reno is feeling like home, or how the house is coming together, or how the pregnancy is coming along, or how the baby is growing, or how the girls are growing, or what's new at the Ranch, or if your husband's caught any bass lately, or what you've knitted, or.......well, you get the point.

I have spent the last few weeks going through our house to prepare it for an addition: a "For Sale by Owner" sign. It made its debut last week and we have received exactly zero calls in reference to it. But that is perfectly ok. We are just testing the waters to see if there's any nibblers out there, but if it doesn't work out, we are completely content and happy to stay in our nice, comfortable home. We really do love it here, but it would be wonderful to have a little more outdoor breathing room. We'll see. It's in God's hands, which is the perfect place for it to be.

Julie and I took our girls to Wild Waves this past Sunday and Monday. We had an absolute blast! Good friends and sunshine are such a wonderful combination.

In approximately ten hours from now, I will be making my annual pilgrimage to Camp Cherith, where I will be able to be the counselor to the high school girls, along with the totally awesome Mrs. Ranch. We are really looking forward to our week and know that God has some super things in store for us and the girls. Greta will be coming to camp, as well, while Gabby will be helping Ben here around the house....I may give her a commission if she sells it while we're away, we'll see.

I miss you all, and I promise I'll catch up on Blogland after a return in a week. But until then, leave me a little comment with how you are doing and what the best thing so far this summer has been.

Thanks for being faithful friends!

Good-Bye Nails!

2008-06-22T15:16:00.000-07:00

For the first time in my life, I am actually proud that my fingernails look like this:

Why?

Because I am finally working toward a goal that I have had for quite some time.

I'm learning to play the guitar! I've said that I've wanted to learn for years now, but have never put the time and effort into doing it. But now, two weeks into lessons, I now have visible calluses on my fingers and have learned some basic chords that have enabled me to play a few worship songs that my daughters have actually been able to sing along to, albeit, they have to be patient while I switch from D to G and right back to D again. Hard!!

Who says you can't teach an old dog new tricks, eh?

Maybe someday I can play publicly.....but until then, Poco is quite a sufficient audience for me!

What is something you've always wanted to learn?

Signs of Summer

2008-06-20T13:43:00.000-07:00

Weather, smeather.

Although this first full day of summer in the Pacific Northwest is a beauty, around here we usually can't really rely on the forecast to inform us of the change of seasons.

I prefer my own tell-tale signs that summer is officially upon us:

*Staying up until a quarter to two reading a book that I just can't put down. In this case, The Shack, recommended by The Daily Ditch.

*Setting my alarm to wake me up at 10:30am~otherwise I would surely oversleep.

*Snoozing my alarm until 10:45.

Aahhhh, summer! Freedom from school schedules, bedtimes and early alarms.

What are your tell-tale signs that summer has arrived?

Shreddin' the Years

2008-06-13T20:30:00.000-07:00

"Bring on the auditor!"

That's what I always say. No prob-lay-mo.

I've got everything filed and under control. I can find any document or receipt at any time.

But according to the experts, it is only necessary to keep up to seven years of past records. If my calculations are correct, that means everything pre-2001 is simply taking up space.

So, I dusted off the old shredder and got to work.

I cannot tell you how such a mindless task of endlessly loading paper after paper into the shredder became such an assurance of God's grace, love, protection and faithfulness.

With each file that I opened, stories of the past came flowing out. Big, monumental events. Paying off college loans. Buying our first car. W-2s from my old Church Art Works days. Re-siding the house. Our Hawaiian vacation. Vet visits for my diabetic cat, Puff. Our first couch and love seat. The brass bed we bought right after we were married.

And so, so many more....

I would pull a file and look upon a snapshot in time. It would take me to a place that was, at one time, thought to be insurmountable. Over the course of our marriage, my faith has been tested as we faced life-changing decisions that were terrifying and unknown. I would watch as a remnant of those times, sometimes the only evidence that that particular event had ever occurred, would slowly make its way through the shredder and become unrecognizable.

What I realized, however, was that those papers were not really all that was left of the evidence of those events. The biggest evidence is the personal growth of my faith and trust in God to see us through those times where we would feel at our wit's end.

Buy a house? How in the world can we afford to do that?
Pregnant? How are we going to make it if I stop working?
Pregnant again? How will we afford two kids?
A bigger car? Where in tarnation will that money come from?
Faith Alive giving to church? Where are we going to get extra money to give to that campaign?
Competitive soccer costs how much? What budget will that come out of?
Our teenage daughter "needs" a cell phone????

and on and on it goes....

I was reminded today, in a very tangible way, that God always provides for our needs. He may not always provide our "wants," but I've learned that's usually for the best anyway.

I know, without a doubt, that we will face more uncertainties and mountainous events in our marriage, but I can rely on the promise that God already knows how each of those things will be worked out. As long as we continue to trust Him and make wise, prudent decisions, I can rest easy in His grasp.

As each shred of paper made its way into the large blue recycle bin, I couldn't help but think of Ecclesiastes chapter one, especially verse nine:

"What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun."

Serenity

2008-06-10T18:02:00.000-07:00

It finally happened.
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I had a very peaceful, relaxing, quiet day today.
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The (extended) weekend went extremely well, however. Many great memories and family moments.
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God is good.
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Here's a few moments from the last few days:
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Gabby's choir concert

Greta's softball game

My dad's birthday party (a slumber party!)

The last service in Court Street's old sanctuary

The dedication of the new sanctuary

Snake catching

And, of course, a family portrait

Whew!

Time to go to Bible study. Yea! That is just what I need. Thanks, God!

Jeopardy!

2008-06-07T06:11:00.000-07:00

ANSWER:

My mom's camcorder, digital camera and cell phone; Gabby's digital camera & cell phone.

QUESTION:

What fell into the Pacific Ocean during a vacation to Hawaii, never to work again?

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ANSWER:

$600

QUESTION:

How much did my mom spend on a new camcorder and digital camera in time to film all the events of this weekend, including, but not limited to: Gabby's choir concert, Greta's softball game, my dad's birthday party, the last service in Court Street's old sanctuary, the dedication service of Court Street's new sanctuary and my nephews' baseball game?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

ANSWER:

The moist video tape that was retrieved from the water-logged camcorder.

QUESTION:

What destroyed our friend's camcorder that my mom borrowed in order to transfer footage of said Hawaiian vacation onto a DVD?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Two Words:

SERENITY NOW!!!!

Jealousy

2008-06-04T11:34:00.000-07:00

Gabby spent seven glorious days in Hawaii with my mom last week.

Dolphins may not be Killer Whales, but I'm jealous all the same.

Thanks, Mom! And I'm super happy for you, Gabby!!

Wake Up Call

2008-05-23T12:16:00.000-07:00

I've always thought that being married is like one continual slumber party with your best friend. I absolutely love pillow talk, late night laughs, inside jokes, and just the great company in general.

I especially like it when something out of the ordinary happens. Like the time our cat, Puff, knocked a large glass casserole dish off of the top of the fridge right into the cast iron sink at 2am. We thought for sure it was an intruder. Ben displayed his finest Miami Vice moves around every corner of the house, sure that he was going to jump a burglar.

This morning was a fun one. Ben woke up at 5:30, to this crawling across the top of his head:

After screams and tissues and squishing and flipping of sheets and creepy crawly feelings and paranoia that there must be others, we had a great laugh!

Better him than me, but the morning that it produced was well worth it.

I will never grow tired of waking up next to my best friend.

One Question

2008-05-20T11:38:00.000-07:00

Cook or Archuleta?

Allow Me to Introduce Myself

2008-05-16T16:19:00.000-07:00

Hello. My name is Sharon.

After I graduated high school in 1992, I took advantage of a music scholarship to Azusa Pacific University near Los Angeles, where I attended and studied music for two years.

I then transferred to San Diego State University where I received my degree in marine biology in 1996.

There was little difficulty getting hired on at Sea World San Diego as a killer whale trainer, since I had interned there during my senior year.

The man of my dreams entered into my life while attending SDSU, and we eventually married in December of 1997.

Our first child, a son, was born on February 29, 2000, followed by our daughter, born in 2003.

My work schedule lent itself fabulously to being a mom and actively participating in the worship team at church.

Life was perfect and sunny all year round.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

That was the script of my life that I had written early in high school.

How fortunate I am that the words of Proverbs 19:21 have proven so true:

"Many plans are in a man's mind, but it is the Lord's purpose for him that will stand."

As I have studied the life of Paul with my Bible study group for the past couple of months, I am amazed at how often Paul's plans didn't turn out as he had anticipated, yet the purpose that God had for him always proved greater.

That resonates with me.

As I look at the path that God has led me down, oh so far away from Sea World, I rejoice and find contentment in knowing that I am fulfilling God's purpose for my life.

I am striving to live the words that Paul says in Philippians 4:12, "I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation."

Contentment can be allusive for some. When expectations are not met or when plans go awry or we fall into the trap of comparing ourselves with others, it is easy to find oneself discontented.

However, when our focus is on the core of fulfilling God's purpose in our lives and striving to be in His will, we can't help but find contentment in whatever we find ourselves doing. That does not mean our path will be easy, as Paul could surely attest to--having been whipped within an inch of his life five times, beaten with rods three times, stoned once, and shipwrecked three times.

I have not been whipped or beaten, but there were definitely times where I was less than content with the turn my life had taken. Contentment is not an inherited trait, it is a learned trait.

And a rare gem, at that.

I pray that you are finding contentment where you are--not complacency--but contentment.

Did you know.......

2008-05-12T13:28:00.000-07:00

......that it takes exactly 168 hours for a cute little pink Motorola Razor to completely dry out after being dropped into the toilet?

Fortunately, once dried, all contacts and Zuma high scores are saved.
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Our world is amazing. Ben and I were talking yesterday about how spoiled we are now as a society. When we want to speak with anyone, we can do so immediately. One cell phone call away.
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When Ben & I started dating, I would speak to him on the kitchen phone that had a 20 foot cord attached to it. At that time, cordless home phones were extremely rare and we were not among the fortunate that owned one. I would stretch that white coiled cord as far as it could possibly reach in order to steal a private moment with my BF.
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After we were married, my father-in-law bought a new contraption. A very large black brick. He called it a cellular phone. I had no idea what that meant, but it sounded outlandish. And why in the world would he need one? What a novelty.
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Last Friday, I accidentally left my cell phone at home. The day was extremely inconvenient because of that mishap.
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Oh how things change.
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How do you think we'll communicate with others ten years from now?

The Truths Revealed, the Lie Unveiled

2008-05-06T14:13:00.000-07:00

Ok, the votes are in.

For you type-A's out there, the tallies were: 5 votes for #1, 4 votes for #2, and 3 votes for #3. So I think it's safe to say that I am a talented liar, seeing as how the voting was so evenly spread. Quite a talent for a pastor's wife, eh?

So here's the facts:

1. I "enjoyed" my first taste of sushi while in San Francisco last week.

TRUE

For those of you who are unaware, I HATE seafood. I realize that I grew up in Seattle, just minutes from the Pike Place Market so that should be illegal, but, hey, that's just how God made me. I do, however, like to practice what I preach. So, when having lunch with Gabby's friend, Paige, at Great America last week I realized that I had do just that. I had successfully coaxed Paige into trying her very first roller coaster--which she LOVED, by the way--so she challenged me to try my first roll of sushi. What else could I do? I popped that whole puppy--seaweed and all--right into my mouth, thought happy thoughts so as not to gag, and got it all down, confirming my belief that sushi is nasty. But at least now I know.

Note: the fact that "enjoyed" was in quotes was to signify sarcasm. That's how I roll.

2. I auditioned and was accepted into the Seattle Opera Chorus in 1992.

TRUE

For three years, from 1991-1993, I focused mostly on classical and opera singing. I had auditioned for the Seattle Opera Chorus shortly before my high school graduation in 1992, hoping to sing with them during the summer before I was to start college. I sang the aria "O Mio Babbino Caro" from Puccini's Gianni Schicchi. After successfully auditioning and being invited to participate in the chorus, I began having problems with stress laryngitis. A doctor's visit revealed two cysts growing on my vocal chords and I was instructed to refrain from singing for the entire summer. It was devastating, but in order to be able to sing in college, I needed to abide, therefore sadly bidding the Seattle Opera arrivederci.

Here is a picture of me performing "Lusinghe piu Care" by Handel, in a 1992 vocal competition.

3. I have met and had tea with the King and Queen of Denmark.

FALSE

Ok, I admit, I was a little devious on this fact because I have, actually, had tea with a king and queen, just not the ones from Denmark.

Here I am with the King and Queen of Sweden in 1983. Can you figure out which one is me? Do you see the tea cup in Queen Sylvia's hands? Apparently, I had decided that my faux rabbit fur jacket would be appropriate to wear to this occasion.....with pig-tailed braids of course.

This is where Queen Sylvia calls me Pippi Longstocking.

Resemblance??

Thanks for playing along! Now let's hear yours on your blogs......I'm waiting!

Two Truths and a Lie

2008-05-03T00:27:00.000-07:00

How well do you know me?

Two Truths and a Lie is a fun game I like to play whenever I'm in a group of people that need to get to know one another a little better, such as a pool of jurors or a rambunctious group of teenagers.

Following, you will find three facts about me. Two of them are completely real and honest. One of them, however, is a total lie. It is your job to spot the deception.

Seeing that I have revealed quite a bit about myself in these prose, I will need to reach deep into the depths of Sharon trivia in order to stump you.

Good luck!

1. I "enjoyed" my first taste of sushi while in San Francisco last week.

2. I auditioned and was accepted into the Seattle Opera Chorus in 1992.

3. I have met and had tea with the King and Queen of Denmark.

Get your votes in, then try this out on your blog and see how well we all know you!

Exhausted...In a Good Way

2008-04-29T16:06:00.001-07:00

There's bad exhausted and there's good exhausted. I am happy to be good exhausted on this fine, rainy, hail-filled day.

I just returned from five incredible days in San Francisco with Gabby's middle school choir tour. Sixty-six middle schoolers and 24 brave adults.

Being the tour co-coordinator, this was the fruition of months of planning. It is a sweet reward to see all your hard work come together in such a successful, fun trip. I was hopeful that all the details would come together fairly smoothly, but what I wasn't quite expecting was having such a fabulous time myself! It was almost enough to make me wish I was in middle school again....almost.

Do you understand what an incredible feeling it is to walk down the aisle of a charter bus filled with energized middle schoolers and have so many of them beg to have you sit with them, only to be superseded by your own middle school daughter wanting you to sit with her?

Living in Gabby's world and being so accepted was a gift that I will not soon forget. I am very proud of the friends she has chosen and the choices she is making. She is a beautiful girl, inside and out, and I count it a privilege to have had this unique opportunity to glance into her life in this manner. God is good.

Here are some photo highlights of the trip:

We spent a fun filled day touring the San Fran Wharf. Did you realize that there are several similar characteristics between a frenzy of sea lions and a bus full of middle school students?

Everyone loved the tour of Alcatraz Island. Plus, it was nice to threaten the possibility of solitary confinement to anyone who misbehaved.

I now know exactly how many teenagers can fit into a rather small hotel pool.

On the morning before their competition, they had a one-hour private session with the music director from San Francisco State University. This was a great experience for the kids and really helped their performance later that day.

Here's Gabby and her AMAZING choir director, Mrs. Kercher.

And here's the two most popular chaperons on the trip.

By the way, the Crossler Middle School choir took top honors at the San Francisco Heritage Festival Competition! They were phenomenal! The trip was phenomenal! And I am exhausted...in a good way!

The Gift of Friendship

2008-04-22T12:43:00.000-07:00

I want to thank you, dear friend.

You are a gift.

You listen.

You laugh.

You cry.

You hear.

You advise.

You understand.

You respond.

You share.

You open up.

You confide.

You love.

You heal.

You help.

You encourage.

You touch.

You glow.

You are fun.

You are real.

You are kind.

You are thoughtful.

You are wise.

You are vulnerable.

You are trustworthy.

You are caring.

You are addicting.

You are Jesus with skin on.

You are my friend.

You are a gift.

You are a gem.

I want to thank you, dear friend.

Patience

2008-04-19T14:24:00.000-07:00

Patience is.....

....teaching your cat how to use the toilet.

This post in loving memory of Puff.

1992-2006.

The Prose Turns One

2008-04-16T22:54:00.000-07:00

Don't you just love unexpected blessings?

From the little things like a friend surprising you at home with a plate of cookies when you and the kids are sick with the flu. To the big things like God leading your husband to a ministry that is beyond what you had scripted for your life.

Blogland has been an unexpected blessing in my life, for several reasons.

I have been blessed by getting to know many of my friends on deeper and interesting levels.

I have been blessed by forming brand-new friendships with some fabulous women.

I have been blessed by being able to express myself in writing.

On this one year anniversary of my very first post, I find that I am thankful for discovering this outlet.

Whenever I find a new blog that I enjoy, I always go back to their very first post to see how they began and what inspired them to begin blogging. Some people begin blogging to document a new child. Others blog to keep records of their growing children. Others share an intimate look at their spiritual growth. Still others simply enjoy sharing the little pleasures that greet their day-to-day lives.

I started blogging so that I could more actively participate in the lives of several friends in Blogland, while at the same time, satisfying my desire to write. I was not expecting to find new friends that would become dear, and to be filled up so wonderfully by the inspiring posts of all those I regularly visit.

Thank you, Blogland friends.

Here is how the Prose of Sharon began.

May there be many more anniversaries to come. Keep writing, dear friends! I only hope you enjoy my prose as much as I enjoy yours!

Is It Right for Ben?

2008-04-13T10:10:00.001-07:00

After much too much down time in front of the tube during my recent illness, I have decided that this is my new favorite tv commercial.

Do enjoy:

What Is the Plural of Virus?

2008-04-10T17:20:00.000-07:00

Is it viri or virii, like the plural of cactus? Or perhaps vira nor virora?

Actually, it is quite simply: viruses.

My home has been invaded with viruses. Some alive, some not. All are invisible to the human eye, yet the symptoms they illicit are extremely obvious to even the casual observer.

How can something so minute be so powerful? How can something that I couldn't even see bring me to a place of utter uselessness?

To answer the questioned posed to you in my last post, the answer, at the time, was 102.6--that being my temperature. Now, however, under the aid of Advil, I am a cool 99.1, able to sit at my computer for a spell, pondering the strange phenomenon of being infected by a virus.

In spite of the hundreds of hand-washings, the liberal use of bleach and the loads of laundry through the hottest of cycles, I, apparently, was doomed from the get-go. I remember getting that "strange" feeling in my chest and throat. I knew the hours of being functional were numbered. There was nothing that could be done to stop it by that point. I made the best of the time that I had left, cleaning, organizing and caring for my girls, for soon, I realized, I would be a wasted and fevered lump under the covers of my bed.

Interestingly enough, I had just observed my laptop fall to the same horrible fate. One week earlier, I had noticed some unusual behavior from my trusty Dell. To Dell, it must have felt something like a tickle in its throat. Poor Dell. I ran for my Dell's medicine cabinet, by way of defragmentation and reconfiguration. The symptoms persisted and even grew worse. I knew a prescription medication must be in order, so I downloaded a spyware removal kit.

Alas, the virus that had infected poor Dell had already spread beyond any hopes of eradicating it. I watched hopelessly as Dell succumbed to a fatal disease caused by a tiny, non-living, non-feeling, non-remorseful virus.

As the strange feeling in my chest became more prevalent and I could feel my temperature rise, I thought about what I had just witnessed in Dell. I couldn't help but feel a kinship with my poor computer. Dell sat dormant on the table across from my bed, completely useless.

What I find most interesting, is that a virus is utterly useless by itself, unless it obtains a host. Once it accomplishes that, the host feeds the virus without even knowing it. What that means is that Dell was feeding its virus and I was feeding mine probably for days before we saw any adverse symptoms. My body was enabling the virus to grow and become for powerful day by day, hour by hour, minute by minute, to the point where it was eventually more powerful than I was. Something microscopic succeeded in halting my entire life as I know it. Very humbling.

On a much larger scale, I can't help but draw the parallel between this virus and sin. The Bible depicts sin as yeast in I Corinthians. If you've ever made bread you know exactly how yeast works. Yeast, by itself, is worthless. It has to be activated. And once it is, there's no stopping it. Even a very tiny amount can affect an entire loaf of bread.

Sin is the same way. The concept, in and of itself, is worthless unless it is activated within a host--you and me. And the enemy is smart. Sin tastes so sweet at first that many times we are simply unaware that we are slowly being infected, all the while the virus of sin is planting its roots in our soul. By the time ugly symptoms begin to arise, the virus is usually way ahead of the game and very difficult to combat.

There is a VERY big difference between a virus and sin, however. As I found out at Gabby's doctor appointment last week, she had a virus--which now I have--and there are no medications that can fight it. But there IS a medication to the disease of sin: Jesus Christ. Because of His death on the cross and resurrection from the dead, sin can be wiped out of my body time and time again. I do not have to fall victim to it and die, like my Dell.

That is the hope that I have. That is the hope that we all can have. We are powerless on our own. But God has promised us that same power that raised Jesus from the dead, if we just accept that free, healing gift. The medicine that is Jesus.

Romans 6:11-13 (The Message)

Could it be any clearer? Our old way of life was nailed to the cross with Christ, a decisive end to that sin-miserable life—no longer at sin's every beck and call! What we believe is this: If we get included in Christ's sin-conquering death, we also get included in his life-saving resurrection.

We know that when Jesus was raised from the dead it was a signal of the end of death-as-the-end. Never again will death have the last word. When Jesus died, he took sin down with him, but alive he brings God down to us. From now on, think of it this way: Sin speaks a dead language that means nothing to you; God speaks your mother tongue, and you hang on every word. You are dead to sin and alive to God. That's what Jesus did.

That means you must not give sin a vote in the way you conduct your lives. Don't give it the time of day. Don't even run little errands that are connected with that old way of life. Throw yourselves wholeheartedly and full-time—remember, you've been raised from the dead!—into God's way of doing things. Sin can't tell you how to live. After all, you're not living under that old tyranny any longer. You're living in the freedom of God.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I thank God that I do not have to fall victim to the virus of sin. I have to combat it every day, but through Jesus, I can claim the victory. So can you!

Sum It Up

2008-04-08T13:18:00.000-07:00

Here's a mathematical equation for you:

What do you get when you add all of the things listed in the "Activities" section of my last post?

Take a guess. And remember, it's math, so the answer contains a number.

102.2 and 101.7 respectively

2008-04-04T16:17:00.000-07:00

Those would be this morning's temperatures of Gabby and Greta.

Gabby came home from track practice (where she very impressively qualified for the relay team!) on Monday with a fever of 100.9. Greta's fever came last night, after three days of thinking she'd averted danger.

So with Gabby home all week, and Greta down for the count now, our last week home without Ben has been relatively quiet, with the exception of sporadic coughing attacks and frequent water refills.

Our accomplishments have included:

Movies: Enchanted, Little Mermaid, Bambi, High School USA, Legally Blonde*, Best of Chris Farley SNL*, and Dumb and Dumber*.

*Note: some movies were just for Gab and me~sorry Greta, you'll have to wait! : )

TV Shows: Survivor, American Idol, Regis and Kelli, Merv Griffin's Crosswords, and The Price is Right.

Food: Fresh bagels from Roth's bakery, Jamba Juice, lattes, Subway, apples, bananas, and tons of water and OJ.

Activities: Washing blankets, washing sheets, washing p.j.'s, bleaching bathrooms, bleaching kitchen, washing thermometer, rubbing backs, applying cold washcloths to foreheads, cuddling, loving, enjoying each other's company, cat naps, sleeping in, talking to Ben in Israel every day at 11am, and plenty of texting after 2:40pm when Gabby's school friends are let loose.

Lesson learned: Spending time with family is the best time that can be spent! I love these girls...fever and all! : )

Photo Aversion

2008-04-01T16:51:00.000-07:00

I'm sure you are all aware that there are some brilliantly talented photographers out there in blogland. Whether the subject be children or crafts or animals or even barbed wire, I always find myself captivated by the amazing quality of capturing something in such a beautiful manner.
.

Some of you, it seems, must carry your camera around with you anywhere you go. I have witnessed so many wonderful moments caught on film, like a sunny fall day of raking the leaves, or catching a daddy lovingly pampering his little girl, or spying on the kids enjoying kid-dom, or even finding a rare Pegasus in all its glory. These are all moments that I would never even dream of pulling out my camera for.
.

Why is that, you ask?
.

Exhibit A:

The Camcorder

Upon its original mass-distribution in the mid-1980's, my life became a literal reality-TV show. In fact, as a wedding gift, perhaps, I received approximately 400 hours of VHS video tape chronicling my life. I have since transferred all 400 hours onto DVD for "easy viewing":

That was a psychological journey that I wouldn't wish on anyone. I firmly believe that God granted us a fallible and imperfect memory as a favor to us. In my mind, I was much cooler and wittier during the pre-game dinner with my varsity basketball game my sophomore year, and I distinctly remember being taller and better spoken that one time I came home late at 5am with some friends. The videos, or DVDs rather, point out quite the contrary, however. Fortunately, those, and countless other moments, are captured on film to set the record straight.

Snippets of a child's life are treasured and valuable, but the human memory far exceeds the documentation of our entire life onto a handy contraption that once set atop the right shoulder, but now fits neatly into the palm of one's hand.

By the way, in case you were wondering how in the world my mom captured any moments before the amazing invention of the camcorder, have no fear. She was a genius at taking "movies," which are silent films projected on to a screen. She would tote her movie camera along with a small tape recorder that would run simultaneously, so to accompany the movie with sound for all to enjoy.

Exhibit B:

The Camera

If you were surprised by the volume of my home video library, I can't even begin to explain how many pictures my mom has snapped over the years. I believe there is literally a picture to represent every moment of my life. There were pictures at your typical picture moments, such as birthday parties and holidays. But there were also pictures of the not-so-typical moments such as every single meal in which a guest was present, or every single time we ate at a restaurant in which there was a menu, or doctors visits, or of the kid who pushed me down at school, or the string that entertained me during a Mariner's game, or even the first day of my period. Yes, that's right.

Traumatized? Yes, I would say I was. But the picture moments that really chapped my hide, were the "re-created" moments. You know, those times where she missed the shot!! Heaven forbid! Those were the times when we'd have to re-stage the event in order to capture the moment as if it were first happening. Being a strong-willed child, I was particularly opposed to these times. Here's a prime example of a re-created moment in which I distinctly remember refusing to participate in. I'm not even left-handed:

As I recall, it took upwards of twenty minutes for my mom to get me back into that position which somewhat resembled the original scene, but we'd have to check the movie footage to be sure. See the tape recorder sitting next to me?
.

As a result, I have found that in my adult life I have a bit of a phobia toward the camera or its kin the camcorder. It is very rare that you find me with a camera, let alone a camcorder. I have to purposely think about moments that I might enjoy capturing, otherwise I will be long gone without it. It is literally an extension of my mom's arm, therefore she is never caught without a photo-op, but I have turned out quite the opposite. Ben, who grew up with very few captured memories, balances me out a bit, for which I am grateful.

So, as I peruse the beautiful images of my friends in blogland, I sometimes think that maybe I should be taking more pictures, or at least bringing my camera along "just in case" more often. But, alas, it is just not me, nor do I think it ever will be. Can you really blame me?

In the stead, I will continue to enjoy your moments that are captured so wonderfully in lieu of my own. Thank you for sharing your talents. But if any of you would like to view some of my eighth grade cheer leading or maybe the time I walked home from school all by myself (I thought) or maybe the time I re-created finding an Easter egg, or perhaps........you get the point...just let me know! I'll hook you up with some prime footage.

And I do hope you clicked to the links I supplied you with to enjoy the images of precious friends in blogland. You'll be glad you did.

Conception by Licking

2008-03-29T12:27:00.000-07:00

This past Monday, my darling Greta's eyes were opened just a little bit more.

As we were driving to a friend's house in Keizer, she spied what she thought to be a cute, playful moment between two adorable little dogs.

"Mom! It's so cute! There's these two dogs, one bigger than the other, and the smaller one put its front two paws on the bigger one's back and started licking its back! Isn't that so sweet?"

"Um," I searched for words, "I think they're, um, they're doin' the tango, if you know what I'm sayin'."

"Huh?" Greta asked.

"They're having sex, Greta," came the blunt, knowledgeable reply from Gabby.

"What? Don't they have to be lying down to do that?"

"No. That's how most animals have to do it," I explained.

Greta thought for a moment, then asked,

"By licking each other?"

Rain

2008-03-26T23:20:00.000-07:00

How does God provide rain?

Good question. I've been wondering about that a lot lately.

This dry spell has been an interesting season in my life. Reflective and introspective, if that's not too redundant. What it has hindered, though, is my ability to read or write. A very strange phenomenon for me. I am an avid reader and I thrive when I write.

Rain.

Someone challenged me to "just be."

What does that mean?

Be.

Reflection. Introspection. Prayer. Listening. Silence. Being.

This morning, I opened my Google Reader, which had lain dormant for several weeks. I knew the number of entries from my blogging friends would be overwhelming, but I made the choice to tackle them one by one.

Rain.

You all have refreshed my soul today in a very timely and unique way. I want to thank you. I did not comment on your wonderful prose, but know that you provided me with some much needed hydration.

I want to thank you for your prayers and friendship. You all are a sweet fragrance of spring.

I will continue to "just be" for the time being and see where God delivers me.

Dry Spell

2008-02-28T23:16:00.000-08:00

One of my all time favorite bands, PFR, has a great song that seems to fit my present state:

Pray For Rain
.
Born in a dry season
Wind and sand have blown through me
Haven't found shade anywhere
Only moments of relief
But sometimes I think I hear the thunder
Somewhere on the horizon line
If I could just find a way to get under
The rain that can reach this soul of mine
.
I pray for rain to come and wash away what's made me numb
I pray for a ragging storm to drown what's in me
And the rain comes in the nick of time
I swallow hard cause my throat's been dry
The rain comes beating on my skin
Till I'm washed away - nothing left within
When the rain comes
Your rain comes
.
Seasons have passed so quickly
Since I felt that first big storm
Still there have been times of drought
When I've prayed for the clouds to form
And I often hear the thunder
And I know of its coming rain
Many times in my life I'll kneel under
The moving showers that brought this change
.
I pray for rain to come
And wash away what's made me numb
I pray for a ragging storm to drown what's in me
And the rain comes in the nick of time
I swallow hard cause my throat's been dry
The rain comes beating on my skin
Till I'm washed away - nothing left within
When the rain comes
Your rain comes
.

~

Sorry for my dry spell, friends. His rain will come soon, I pray.

You're Invited!

2008-02-05T10:01:00.000-08:00

I would like to invite you to a baby shower in honor of my sister-in-law,

Emily (Bryson) Forbes

Sunday, February 17

2pm - 4pm

Court Street Christian Church

We are looking forward to meeting Baby Grace in March, and we would like to make sure that Aaron and Emily have everything that they need in order to make her homecoming as smooth and comfortable as possible. That's where you come in!

Aaron and Emily are registered at Target (search by Aaron's name). Pick them up a little something they can use, then join us on the 17th as we shower Emily and Grace with love and gifts.

I've included a couple photos of Grace's adorable pink and brown nursery.

Spread the word and hopefully I'll see you all at the shower!

Thanks so much!

Darian

2008-01-23T23:28:00.000-08:00

Here's an update directly from Abby:

Hi All,

I pretty much don't know where to start. The last few weeks Darian has been walking and having pain in his leg. He had shots on the 3rd of January so we thought it might be that. Monday we took him to the Dr, you then sent us to Salem Radiology for x-rays. The x-rays revealed something that needed to be investigated further.

Yesterday we had a appt at Good Samaritan in Portland. Upon seeing the specialist we were immediately admitted to Legacy Emanuel Children's Hospital. At 4pm they did a MRI which turned out to be bad news. The specialist saw a cancerous looking mass. This mass is located at the bottom of Darians left femur on a growth plate. Later that night (last night) they did a biopsy.

We won't find out the news from the biopsy for a few days. The specialist believes that it is one of two forms of cancer. The two types are called Osteogenic sarcoma or Ewings sarcoma. Either are not good. A team of specialist have been notified and will be ready to go when we find out the results of the biopsy.

Since it was a bone biopsy, Darian is still in some pain and cannot move his left leg. We are now at home and Darian is trying to rest comfortably.

Monday we will start on Chest x-rays, bone scans and more tests to make sure this hasn't spread to other parts of the body, especially the lungs where it likes to go. As we gather more info, chemo will start soon after.

Our Family is doing well. We are so glad this was found and we can start treatment. God holds our plans, and we know that amazing things will come from this. Its a new journey for our family. The most important thing for us is to remain positive. Please join us in prayer. May we all grow closer to each other and to God through this process. I love you all.

I hope you all know that you are always welcome in our home, and please feel free to call anytime, we will let you know things as we know them.

I hope this all makes sense-didn't get much sleep in the hospital, but wanted to let you all know what was going on.

Sending you all tons of love!
Live simply. Love generously. Care deeply. Speak Kindly. Leave the rest to God.

Abby

-------------------------

Please continue to pray for their precious family!

Please Join Me in Prayer

2008-01-22T18:15:00.000-08:00

Difficult news is just as difficult to share.

We have an urgent need to bring before the Lord and I would like to ask all of you to stop for a moment and lift the King family up.

Craig and Abby's youngest son, Darian, was diagnosed today with cancer. They found a mass just above his knee on his femur. After an MRI in Portland today, the doctor revealed that it was, in fact, a tumor.

They will remain in Portland for the evening so that the doctors can retrieve a biopsy to determine what kind of cancer they are dealing with. They will hopefully get to come home later tonight, since the results of the biopsy won't be available for a couple of days.

Right now, the general plan is to perform surgery after the biopsy results are in to remove the mass and then follow that with chemotherapy.

Obviously, this is a critical time for them and they can use all the prayer and support that we can offer. Abby is very lovingly optimistic, knowing that this is God's plan and that He's in charge. She is an amazing woman and I am so thankful that God entrusted Darian to her care.

If you'd like me to pass on a message to their family, please feel free to leave a comment here and I will convey it to them.

Thank you all so much!

Just Because

2008-01-16T23:23:00.000-08:00

Looking for a quick and easy way to let your husband know that you love him? This is something I learned in junior high: Eyeliner makes a great writing utensil on the bathroom mirror!
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So, if you're up and out of the house before the Mr., scrawl a quick love note on the mirror above his sink in the morning. Or, if you're like me and he's showered and out of the house before you've even entered REM sleep, scribble your note before you go to bed like I do! Either way, it's sure to give him a nice little boost to start his day. Give it a try for tomorrow morning, then come leave me a comment and tell me how it went!

Here's another free tip: put your creamer into your mug before you pour your coffee into it. That way you don't need to dirty a spoon to mix it up. It magically mixes to the perfect consistency right before your eyes as you pour your coffee! Mmmmm, good!

P.S. Please don't judge my hideous bathroom wallpaper. It's the last room I need to redecorate. I have dreams of Venetian tile. Someday....

God Uses Ear Wax

2008-01-12T16:30:00.000-08:00

"No. I will not go to the store and buy an ear wax removal kit for you," I replied to my dear husband.

TMI? Normally, I would say, yes, that's TMI, but this time I couldn't help but see how God uses the craziest things to fulfill His plans.

Ben had come home from a long day at work and was very tired, but he was having some pain in his right ear. He concluded that he must have some water trapped in there along with, yes, a bit of ear wax.

Now, before you go judging my husband, I must let you know that he has impeccable hygiene habits and ear wax is just something that happens to everyone. You are not immune, either. Back to the story.

Looking online, he saw that Walgreen's had an ear wax removal kit for $5.99 that he wanted to try before resorting to the doctor. Since I was heading out to taxi Gabby around, he thought it would be convenient for me to run by Walgreen's and pick it up for him. What he didn't anticipate, however, was that I wasn't too thrilled with going into a store of any kind and asking a stranger where the ear wax removal kits were, knowing that they'd assume it was for me, and I like to pretend that I'm one of those that are immune to conditions of this sort.

Desperate, Ben told me to just preface my question with "My husband needs..." Suddenly my mind flashed back to the many personal and embarrassing items that my loving husband had picked up for me at the store during my pregnancies, baby raising years, and various feminine moments. How he found me just the right nursing bra, I'll never know. I agreed to the task.

Of course the pharmacist at Walgreen's was surrounded by customers, dissuading me from asking him where I might find such a kit, for fear someone else would hear and try to catch a peak in my ear. So, I circled the aisles a few times, trying to look like I knew what I was doing so as to avoid a helpful employee asking if they could help me locate something. Finally, I saw the sign for eye & ear care. Bingo. There it was. $5.99, just as Ben had said.

Grabbing some light bulbs to perhaps distract the checker from seeing my main purchase, I made my way up to the check-out, paid for my items and made my way out the door. Mission accomplished....so I thought.

"Ma'am. I'm not asking for money or anything...."

There she was with her opening line: the girl waiting outside the sliding door in the cold night air. She pled her case: out for a walk, suddenly got dark, scared to walk home, cold, doesn't need money, isn't dangerous, can I take her home?

Can I take her home? Of course I can, but the actual question is: should I take her home? My mind played out every possible worst case scenario situation: guns, knives, accomplices, robbery, grand theft auto, etc. Wishing my husband was with me, I decided to ask her detailed questions to assess how quickly and accurately she could answer them, all the while looking at her body and hands to see if she was hiding anything, and watching her eyes to see if she would make eye contact with someone hiding in the bushes or around the corner. I offered the use of my phone so that she could call someone to come and pick her up. She said she'd already used the phone inside Walgreen's and couldn't reach anyone.

I shot up a quick arrow prayer, and said, "Lord, I'm gonna do this and I'm going to talk about You all the way there. Perhaps this is a divine appointment that you scheduled and I will take advantage of every moment I have with this girl. Keep me safe and speak to her heart."

So, trusting God more than her, we made our way to my truck as she explained where her rental house was. As I hopped in the driver's seat, I slid my purse under my feet, still unsure about the situation.

As I asked her about her life and why she would be stuck wandering around cold after dark, I got the sense that she was not in a good living environment and that she seemed to feel trapped by her unfortunate circumstances and didn't know what to do about it.

Her name is Caitlyn. She is 19 and lives with her boyfriend. She dropped out of high school after her sophomore year. She would like to go to Chemeketa and learn to be a veterinarians assistant, but she doesn't have her GED and can't get a job to earn the money to move forward. Her boyfriend treats her poorly, but not abusively she said, and she feels like she needs to get out of his house but has nowhere to go and no money with which to do it.

When asked about church, she told me that she'd grown up in the church but had since walked away from God. I explained to her that the awesome thing about God is that even though we walk away from Him, He never walks away from us. All we ever have to do is just turn back and He'll be right there eagerly waiting for us, regardless of what we've done. I told her about our church and then I told her about the UGM's Simonka Place. I explained that she could get a brand-new start there, learning about the plan that God has for her, and gaining the opportunity to finish her studies and get her life back on track.

As I pulled up to Catilyn's home, I told her that I would be praying for her and that Jesus loves her and always will. I told her to call the Simonka Place in the morning to see how they could help her. She said she would think about it.

And that was it. She let herself in the front door and I began to pray for her, wondering if I'd ever see her again, and whether my words made any difference in her life. I was thankful that it was me that took her home rather than someone else who may not have had her best interest in mind.

But most of all, I was thankful that my husband had ear wax.

Please pray for Caitlyn.

Ticket to Ride the Crazy Train

2008-01-10T17:45:00.000-08:00

The online results are in, and it was a close race. Coming in third, with 5 votes, was "Questioning the Traditions." In second, with 6 votes, was "Times, They Are a Changin'."

So, without further ado, with a winning 7 votes.......

WARNING!! Opinionated Content Ahead!

Ok, so I understand the danger in making generalized statements, so let's just set some facts straight before my tirade. I realize that not ALL of the following subject matter follow suit in the few examples I will be describing. Know that I do not lump an entire industry into the stereotypes of a few bad apples. My husband, in his occupation, certainly understands the pitfalls of people doing that to him. I simply felt the need to express an opinion regarding some prominent people currently in the media. With that being said, I would love to hear your opinions, too. After all, we're all entitled to them, are we not?

To what am I referring? Mostly:

My apologies for this most graphic post, but I did my best to keep the images PG-13, at least. Trust me, a quick Google Image search of Britney will quickly become X-rated.

While perusing the channels the other night, I was captured by the E! THS of Britney Spears entitled: Fall from Grace. It was like a tragic accident on the side of the road: you know you shouldn't be entertained by such a sight, yet you simply can't pull your eyes away.

The show chronicled her downward spiral that has so saturated the media. None of the information was new to me, yet, to see it all edited together in tightly woven succession was rather unbelievable. It really didn't seem real or even humanly possible. I had to literally remind myself that this spectacle was an actual human life, loved by God.

As the images went by, and I saw her in her various walks of life and with her plethora of acquaintances, I found my brow furrowed and my mouth agape in a wordless expression of "Huh?" In my head, all I could comprehend was my internal questioning of "How much money and fame buys you a ticket on the crazy train?"

In what world are her and her other celebrity friends living in? It's some strange, alien land that has a whole different set of standards than mine. Apparently in this land, one must not worry about how little clothing one is wearing, or if it even stays in its proper place covering its intended jewels. It seems as if skin is the main dress, highlighted with a few strips of fabric as an accessory. I'm quite certain that if I were to attempt to wear any one of these "outfits" in the land in which I live, I would be either ticketed, escorted out of whatever function I was attending, or at the very least, scorned by those around me.

Another accepted habit of celebrityland is that it is perfectly normal to attend grandiose, wild parties more nights a week than not. Now, don't get me wrong. I love a good time. Don't get me started on my wild nights playing Catch Phrase and pounding the Diet Cherry Cokes, after a girls dinner out at Applebee's. Good times. But those that can afford the crazy train ticket take the word "party" to a whole new level. You've all seen the images on tv of the photographer-swarmed celebrity making their way into a neon-adorned, beat-pulsing club, only to come out in the wee hours of the morning, stumbling to pose for their mug shot.

But the icing on my "Huh?" cake was during a rerun of "The Surreal Life" on the TVGuide Channel (and, yes, I realize I'm exposing my lovely weak moments in tv viewing.....I DO watch The Discovery Channel, the news, Jeopardy and occasionally OPB, too, among other upstanding programming). Actress/Model Traci Bingham was taking her first tour of the house she would be sharing with the other B-list celebrities. Upon seeing the Jacuzzi tub that any one of us in our world would be thrilled and delighted to own, she proclaimed that she could not--and will not--take a bath in a raspberry colored bathtub. She explained that she'd worked her way into particular quality of life, and a raspberry bathtub was just not acceptable.

A particular quality of life? So my question is: where is that line? When do you decide that the standard way of life for the majority of the population no longer applies to you? How much fame does it take before you actually believe you are above the law? When do you reach the point that you refuse to bathe, for even just two weeks, in a perfectly acceptable bath tub of rose hue?

As I write this, I am aware that Brad and Angelina are probably saving a small country while Cameron Diaz is closing the hole in the ozone layer, but unfortunately, those images didn't come up on my Google search of candid celebrity photographs. I'm glad that there are, what seem to be, responsible people in Celebrityland, but unfortunately those are not the prominent headlines on magazines at the check-out stand.

I'm not sure if Britney bought a one-way ticket on the crazy train, as did Anna Nicole, or if she had the foresight to buy a round-trip pass. I can only hope.

Hope. What a wonderful word. A God-given word. Despite the depravity of this world we currently call home, there will never be a void of hope because of the gift of Jesus Christ. Nothing--or no one--is beyond hope, including me and my sometimes questionable tv viewing habits.

Thank you, God. You are good. All the time. You love all your children and desire no one to be lost.

Let's keep treading, girls, and hopefully, someday soon, the crazy train will be exposed for what it is: an empty, vain, pursuit leading to, well, God knows where.

You Decide

2008-01-08T18:44:00.001-08:00

I have so many things rattling around in my brain right now. I feel as if I could go on a writing frenzy, but I do not want to overwhelm you.

Inspired by the New Hampshire primaries, I thought I would share three titles that I currently have in mind for new posts and you could decide what you'd like to read about first....without their descriptions. Get your vote in quickly so that I can release these thoughts through the keyboard!

Your options are:

1. Times, They Are a Changin'

2. Questioning the Traditions

3. Ticket to Ride the Crazy Train

So, without any further information on what those titles might entail, please cast your vote and I'll get to typing.

Thank you for aiding in this moment of indecision.

Turning Teen

2008-01-05T12:41:00.000-08:00

Presently, conversation around the house revolves around party planning for Gabby's 13th birthday. It's a big one, a special one. She's turning the corner into Teenland. It needs to be a fun and memorable party for her, but we're struggling to find just the right activity for it.
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Bowling? Done it. Skate Palace? Closed. Swimming? Done it. Movie? Nope. Mall? Last year. Snow? Too cold. Dance Dance Revolution? Over done.
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Hmmm. Nothing seems quite right. Why is this year different than every other year?
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Boys.
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That's right. This year boys will be coming to the party. That's a lot of pressure for the party planner: to provide fun for all, regardless of gender.
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So, in my quest for ideas, I tried to remember back to my own 13th birthday. For some reason, I couldn't remember it. I knew that my 12th birthday was a boy/girl party and we went to Chuck E. Cheeses in Tacoma (still a novelty back then, and quite a bit nicer than our Lan-Trash-ter one). Then the boys went home and the girls spent the night. It was fun!
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But, alas, my 13th birthday was escaping me! What to do? Mom. Call Mom. Here was the result of that phone call:

Apparently mine was an all-girl party that year. They came over on a Friday evening and we hung out and played some games.

We "slept" in our totally party-friendly basement. I remember doing Madonna make-overs and dancing to the cassette tape of "Who's that Girl" that I'd received as a gift....much to my Mom's dismay.

Come morning, we made our way out to the AquaBarn Ranch for a little horse-riding action.

And, hence the name "AquaBarn," there was also a nifty pool!

Thanks, Mom! It all came flooding back to me. Good times.

And on a side note, regarding the before mentioned "Who's that Girl" soundtrack cassette: that night was the first and last that I got to listen to it. My mom took it away. But, if any of you know my mom, she saves absolutely everything. I asked her a few years back if she still had it. Madonna's short, platinum Blonde 'do now resides happily in my retro cassette collection nestled inbetween Milli Vanilli and REO Speedwagon.

As for Gabby's party? I think we finally decided on doing a Medieval Murder Mystery Party! I think (hope) it should be a lot of fun. Everyone will come in costume and Ben will die sometime during the evening! I'll let you know how it turns out!

Selah

2008-01-03T16:53:00.000-08:00

Music has always played a major role in my life.

I truly believe that music is a gift from God. He set the love and emotional attachment of music in the soul of mankind. In fact, the biggest book in the Bible, God's word, is a book of songs: Psalms.

Several times during the Psalms, the word "selah" appears after a stanza of thoughts. I remember studying this word in high school and it quickly became one of my favorites. It is a Hebrew word that means "stop and listen."

סלה

That resonated with me. I have always believed in my life that it is healthy and beneficial to take breaks; to stop and listen; to rest and renew; to refocus and be re-inspired. It feels so good. God's example of resting on the seventh day of creation just reaffirms this concept.

My December selah was needed and wonderful, but I am ready to get back into the game. I look forward to continuing to share my thoughts with you, and to, in turn, get caught up with your lives as well. And I encourage you to examine an area in your life that may benefit from a selah.

Inspired by Matthew 25

2007-12-11T01:26:00.000-08:00

Well Done

Can’t you see you’ve been given a gift?

Don’t you know it’s yours for the taking.

Don’t waste what could be a great thing by hoarding and squandering.

The choice is yours to do what you wish.

You can push it all down or you can lay it out.

Take the chance, you’re more than able. See what it’s all about.

You’ve got to live with abandon. Don’t play it safe, go out and run the race.

Then when it’s time to see Jesus above His eyes will gaze on yours, and He’ll say,

"Well done! Well done, my good and faithful one!"

"Well done! Well done my good and faithful one! Well done!"

It’s all free, the price is paid. Grab the prize and take what’s yours.

Make the most of your new fortune by checkin’ every door.

~

You’ve got the strength to multiply.

If you give a little your return is more.

Share the wealth, spread it out. You’ll find that’s what it’s for.

When you risk the most, your reward is great.

If you play it safe, darkness will be your fate.

‘Cause mediocrity is a crime.

Go use what you’ve got while you’ve still got the time.

You’ve got to live with abandon. Don’t play it safe, go out and run the race.

Then when it’s time to see Jesus above His eyes will gaze on yours, and He’ll say,

"Well done! Well done, my good and faithful one!"

"Well done! Well done my good and faithful one! Well done!"

A Blogger Tale

2007-12-07T23:15:00.000-08:00

Once upon a time, there was a sweet and very precocious little frog named Blogger. He lived in a serene little pond that rarely knew anything but peace and tranquility. Each and every day, the morning dew would refreshingly greet him, only to give way to the bright and cheery sunshine to escort him through the day. Then dusk would provide the perfect inspiration for the chorus of croaking performed by the choir of all his kin.

His parents had trained him well, and his extraordinary ability to snatch a fly in a fraction of a second was the best of all the frogs in his little pond. But in addition to that, he always seemed to know just the right lily pad to wait for his prey. It was if he had some secret ability to foretell the flies' flight patterns.

Blogger had every reason to gloat and boast over his fine abilities, yet he chose a much more admirable way of life. He was known as the most generous frog in all the forest, always providing bountiful meals for all the frogs and bug-eating critters around. The birds would spread the word far and wide about this wonderful frog named Blogger.

He was very content with the environment in which he called home, and loved his friends dearly. There was no reason in Blogger's mind to stray from this happy little pond which he called home.

But then one day,

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Up for some fun? Now YOU take the next snippet of the story! Post a comment completing the next few lines of the tale with whatever you can come up with. Leave a bit of a cliff hanger so that each subsequent comment will build on the one prior to it until we finally have an ending to the story!

Let's see how we do as a community of blogger authors! How creative can we get? What will become of our little Blogger? Only you guys know..........

Have fun!

Out of Africa: Favorite Images

2007-12-02T10:00:00.000-08:00

To conclude my Out of Africa series, I leave you with some of my favorite images and moments from our awesome trip. Thanks for taking the journey with me! Hopefully someday you can experience these moments for yourself. You will not regret it.

Out of Africa: Other Areas of Ministry

2007-11-29T21:23:00.000-08:00

Besides the festivals where most of my time was spent, there were various other areas of ministry in which our team of 57 served. It was such a vivid picture of 1 Corinthians 12:4-7 (CEV), where it so wonderfully states, "There are different kinds of spiritual gifts, but they all come from the same Spirit. There are different ways to serve the same Lord, and we can each do different things. Yet the same God works in all of us and helps us in everything we do. The Spirit has given each of us a special way of serving others."

There is really something special about seeing the body of Christ come together with all of our unique and special gifts to work toward one goal, which was to serve the people of Uganda in every way we possibly could. Few places in life can you find a nurse, a mechanic, a developer, a pastor, a student, a mortician, a teacher, an artist, an accountant and every other occupation you can think of working diligently at their respective jobs harmoniously.

Unfortunately, I don't have pictures of everything we accomplished, such as the many schools, hospitals and prisons that were visited. Those that did their work in these areas were overwhelmed and touched by the people they ministered to. Some of our women even led a women's conference that was so well received by those that attended.

The well-drilling team was amazing. They tirelessly worked around the clock in twelve hour shifts, rain or shine. It was pain-staking work, as there would be times where it would take an hour to simply get down a matter of inches through solid granite. The RSA team was unable to reach water before leaving, however, during the daytime hours, they were training a group of young widows to finish the task. RSA purchased the well-drilling machine with just this thought in mind: to be able to train those who are able and leave the machine with them to start their own business and drill more wells.

Joy Dull, with Bless the Children and a member of Court Street, also drilled a well near Gulu while we were there. Ben was privileged to have been on location with her Ugandan partner, Moses, as their machine hit water. It was a wonderful experience and such an incredible blessing for the community, as wells are few and far between. In fact, usually after walking incredible distances, one would most often have to place their water canisters at the end of a very long line to wait their turn.

As a fun activity, and to draw hearty crowd, RSA had arranged for a "friendly" game of soccer between the Americans and Ugandans. Eleven of our men stepped forward to participate in this game to be held at one of the displacement camps. Although the plan was to "take it easy" on them, they decided to wear their matching t-shirts to really look like a team. Their pale skin turned absolutely ghostly white when we entered the camp to see a disheveled soccer field with a fully uniformed Ugandan soccer team warming up in perfect unison around the perimeter. There was also a yellow-jerseyed referee there to call an official game. The plan quickly went from "take it easy" to "score at least one goal to save face." The Americans, gasping for air, lost 5-0 to the amazing Ugandan athletes, but it made for lots of laughs and also provided an opportunity to share the gospel with the hundreds in attendance during half-time.

The two Sundays that we were in the country, our large group divided into teams of three or four and attended dozens of area churches to preach and encourage their congregations. The churches ranged from small mud/manure huts to larger concrete structures. I had the joy of preaching for the first time at one of these churches. It was a great experience. Evidence of God's hand in our time there became evident on the second Sunday as all churches had first time attenders who had given their lives to Christ at one of the festivals we had put on during the previous week. It was wonderful to know that these people were already getting plugged into their community church and would be cared for by the local pastors there.

Ben had the joy of putting together a pastors' conference, where almost 200 Ugandan pastors attended to soak up as much insight and information as they possibly could. Between the four pastors that were on our team, they provided these wonderful men with study Bibles, reference material and hours upon hours of training. It is a comfort to know that the new believers will be properly discipled in their walks.

Finally, we had a fully staffed medical team that facilitated a week long medical clinic in the displacement camp of Opit, one of the larger refugee communities. Everyday from 8am - 4pm they would listen to the ailments of those in need and do their best to help them. With medicines treating everything from Malaria to a simple headache, and enough bandages to treat every open wound that came, their efforts were enormous and so welcomed by the people. I was able to help there one afternoon and it left a lasting impression on me. The need is so great.

There were certainly moments on the trip where the right hand didn't know what the left hand was doing, as would be the case with any group this size. But overall, I was simply amazed at how smoothly everything went and how much ground we were able to cover. The problems and the needs seem to be unending, and if focused upon would surely be a discouragement because it is simply impossible to cure the situation in two weeks time. We just had to keep our focus on doing all that we were able, knowing that we did, in fact, make a difference. We left a permanent and positive mark on that corner of the globe, or rather God left His mark and we were simply His vessel in doing so. That's a good feeling. God is good. All the time.

Out of Africa: The Wildlife

2007-11-26T22:02:00.000-08:00

Enjoy some shots of the native Ugandan wildlife, all taken from my humble Kodak EasyShare camera.

In the Villages

At out hotel

On Safari

On the Nile River tour

Out of Africa: One Family's Story

2007-11-25T14:07:00.000-08:00

While getting ready for our second to last festival in the camp called Opit, my eyes caught the smiling, friendly faces of a family sitting outside their mud hut home. I made my way over to greet them and they warmly accepted my hand.

The dad spoke English pretty well, so I was happy to be able to get to learn a little bit about them. Cesar, as he introduced himself, kindly invited me into their home. It was dark and smoky as they had some hot coals warming the inside of their little hut from a small cooking alcove nestled up against the right wall. Their faces beamed with joy that this foreign visitor would take the time to enter their home. A solitary pole served not only as the roof support in the center of the small, circular hut, but also as the divider of their living room and bedroom sections of the hut. A curtain divided the two halves.

Their living area

Their sleeping area

Cesar introduced me to his wife Grace, and Grace's sister, Lucy. Grace and Lucy spoke very little English, but smiled warmly when I greeted them and held their weathered hands. I will never forget their smiles. Cesar's three children were transfixed on this strange and pale outsider that had come into their presence.

I learned that Cesar and Grace's actual home was located about 5 kilometer's from this place, but they had been placed in this government enforced camp some years back to be protected from the devastating war conditions. Their two youngest children had been born in the camp in this very hut. He eagerly anticipated being able to return to his home one day soon to be able to resume the life that he had left behind.

The two potatoes that had been cooking on the coals were ready and he divided them up between his children and wife. They ate as we continued our conversation. He proudly told me of the cow he owned that he soon needed to go retrieve from the pasture before it got dark. I asked him if he had come to our festival the night before and heard the music and the good news of Jesus Christ. They had, and he told me that they were considering "getting saved tomorrow." I told them that today was the day for that! He wasn't quite sure yet, but told me they would consider that.

I asked them what he felt like they needed the most at that time. Cesar selflessly answered that he would love for his wife and sister-in-law, Lucy, to have some new clothes, as the ones they were currently wearing were all that they had and were simply falling off of them now.

Praise God, this was actually a request I could fill! I had known that I wanted to leave my clothes there for the people of Gulu, but I didn't know how to ensure that they would get into the right hands. I didn't simply want to leave them at a mass donation site for fear they'd be sold at market or hoarded by those whose need is not as great. I had prayed for an opportunity such as this. Without hesitation, I told Cesar that I would return tomorrow and bring Grace and Lucy my clothes.

Cesar looked questioningly at me and all he could manage to ask was, "Personally?"

"Yes! Personally! I, personally, will bring you, personally, some clothing for your wife and Lucy. Would that be ok?"

"No one has ever done anything like that for us," Cesar explained. "In fact, no one's really done anything for us before."

I left there with my promise that I would return to them the next afternoon with skirts and shirts for the two women. They thanked and hugged me and I left to go to the stage where the festival was ready to begin.

The following day, clothes tucked neatly away in my backpack, our vans snaked through the village and I peered out my window to the area I remembered their hut to be. Through the crowds of people, I locked eyes with two: Cesar and Grace, waiting outside the door of their humble residence. They raised their hand to me off in the distance and I matched their action. I was so excited as I exited the van and made my way through the crowd to their little hut.

They again invited my inside and Cesar introduced me to his mother, whom he had told of my promise and wanted to be here to see it for herself. I reached into my backpack and took the articles of clothing out one by one and handed them to the women. All they could do was cover their mouths and shake their heads in gratitude. It was one of the most unbelievable experiences of my life. Such a small sacrifice on my part, giving mostly clothing that had been purchased at Goodwill shortly before I came, yet such a huge gift and promised fulfilled for these dear people.

Cesar with his mom, Betty, his wife, Grace and two of their children

Cesar explained that whenever shipments of clothes or other amenities come to their village, the swarms of people staking claim to the new treasures would be so overwhelming that they usually were not able to acquire anything for themselves. He said that I will never understand what this means to them.

Hugs were given all around as I said good-bye and made my way to the stage for our last festival of the trip. As my American band sang and praised God that evening, Cesar was in the front row dancing with all his might. The smile on his face shone from ear to ear, and I am happy to report that he and his household prayed to accept Jesus as their Savior that night.

Please pray for Cesar, Grace, their three children, and Grace's sister Lucy as they continue to grow in Christ. The local pastors there at the festival were fervent in making sure these new believers got plugged in to the area churches to learn and grow long after our team is gone. That was a wonderful feeling.

That family's story is just one example of the millions of stories happening every day in that unbelievable country. I will forever be changed because of our interaction. I look forward to a great reunion with them someday.

Blog Party Homework

2007-11-24T11:27:00.000-08:00

Taking a little break from Africa posting to complete my homework for the much anticipated blog part! Can't wait to hang with you all!

1.What is your Motto?

"Commit and Go!"

2.What superhuman power would you most want to have?

Time Travel

3.Cats or dogs?

Dogs

4.Would you rather be a little smarter or sexier?

Smarter

5.What's the one thing you'll never understand?

NaBloPoMo

6. My life would be simpler if?

If I ditched technology

7. The big decision I'm currently wrestling with?

Should we get a Christmas tree this year?

There you have it. I usually resist quizzes and e-mail forwards, but I feared not receiving a latte at the blog party,so I just had to commit and go with this homework assignment. More Out of Africa to come. It's a big continent, so there's a lot to cover...hope you all won't be tired of hearing about it!

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Edited:

I just noticed that the person I copied the questions from had left one out:

What makes you laugh?

Good friends

Out of Africa: The Festivals

2007-11-20T06:34:00.000-08:00

One of the main elements of our trip was putting on daily festivals in various locations around Gulu. I was responsible for the music portion of these festivals. Not having ever gone on an RSA mission trip before, I was not quite sure what to expect and how the worship would go, seeing as how our cultures worship in such different ways. This is what I was most nervous about as I prepared for this trip, not wanting to disappoint those that had asked me to oversee this aspect of the ministry.

I had prepared as best as I could and had met with the team members who would make up my new little band in Uganda. They quickly became good friends of mine and I thoroughly enjoyed working with every single one of them. We brought two guitars, a bass guitar, a keyboard and all the music we thought we'd need to do the job, not really knowing what we were in for.

Rain dampened the first festival, so I opted to cancel the American worship set for that evening, not wanting all our instruments to be soaked and damaged. Most everything else that evening went on as planned, however, and I was thankful for the opportunity to literally get my feet wet with what the rest of the festivals would look like so that I could be better prepared for how I should be going about this.

I assembled my band the next morning and we enjoyed a nice two hour rehearsal on the patio of the hotel in the warm sunshine. We were able to plan out music for the next few days, which felt just wonderful. I wish I had a picture of this, it was such a gorgeous setting. And I would have loved to have had a video of when the old Russian U.N. representative interrupted our practice and kissed my hand and arm while trying to steal my ring watch. It was gross. Never have I been more thankful for soap--and friends to laugh about it with.

We met a second time a few days later to go over the music for the second half of the trip. This time we met in the comfort and shade of one of the hotel buildings.

Everyday, I would find that I would be nervous as we traveled the long, dusty, bumpy roads to the festivals. Yet every night as we would return, I would feel so energized and thankful to God for His hand in what had just happened. They were definitely the highlight of my trip.

We would arrive at the different sites around 3pm everyday and there would already be a crew of Ugandan volunteers setting up a makeshift stage and wiring a complete sound system. I was always in awe of this enormous undertaking and the primitive conditions in which they were able to make it all work. A generator would power everything up and we were usually ready to begin around 4:30pm or so.

Our locations were always in the middle of these government formed displacement camps, which were the result of years of war. There are literally hundreds upon hundreds of orphaned children, widows and other adults. It was quite a sight to behold. Mud huts as far as the eye could see and little children running to you with clothes that barely hold any resemblance of their original shape and color, yet they smile from ear to ear. They are beautiful.

We would usually begin with a puppet show, which really helped to draw in the crowd, especially the children. They thought this was the funniest thing they'd ever seen.

The African choir would then take the stage and sing African praise for about 45 minutes. They were absolutely amazing, both for the amount of energy they possessed and for their passion in which they did so. One song would last about 15 minutes, repeating a chorus over and over again but to different dance moves. It was just awesome, and us white folk tried out best to keep up!

My American band had to follow that! Fortunately, I became fast friends with the African choir and usually recruited them to stay on stage with us to dance and sing right along, it was great! They knew so many of our songs and I thoroughly enjoyed singing and praising with them. Ben was my rock on the guitar. I could not have done this without him. Nick also added so much personality on his guitar, and Sagen did a great job on the bass. The keyboard could never be on stage because all the dancing would send it flying off, so Leanna would have to do her best beneath the dancing. She did awesome!

I would recruit one of the RSA team members to share their testimony after my band was finished. The testimony times were always very special, each one sharing how Jesus had changed their lives in unique ways.

The drama team would then take the stage and act out various skits set to music, all pantomimed so that they are universally understood with no need for interpretation. They were all extremely powerful and every night the crowds of people would be just riveted to the performance and message of it.

Finally, the speaker would take the stage, which was usually Reid, but earlier in the week he had some others give the message and Ben was privileged to be able to do so one night. He did an phenomenal job.

Reid's messages were just awesome. This is his absolute calling in life and it is so incredible to see him use the gifts that God has given him for the exact purpose that they were intended.

The messages always ended with a call for anyone to accept Jesus as their Savior. The call was always met with hundreds of hands reaching toward the sky. During this time, I would be under the stage at the keyboard playing "Come Just as You Are." These were some of the most incredible moments for me. I would usually have children pressing up all around me, listening to Reid, above me on the stage, cry out for them to follow Jesus, while in front of me all I could see was a sea of people choosing to follow. They would pray aloud and then be met by local pastors who would be responsible for follow up. It was simply amazing, I cannot do it justice.

Most every festival ended with a brilliant lightning storm. I will never forget these nights for as long as I live and I thank God so much for this opportunity.

Out of Africa: Transportation & Accommodations

2007-11-18T22:15:00.000-08:00

Starting light, I thought I'd answer a few trivial details of my trip: How did we travel? And what were our living conditions like?

We started our journey on Halloween night. Ben and I opted to get a hotel in Portland that would allow our truck to be parked there the entire time we were gone. It's always nice to be able to enjoy some alone time, all comfy cozy in your own vehicle when returning from a long trip, so we do this whenever we can. Plus, having to get to the airport at 6am the next morning doesn't seem quite as bad when you're next door, rather than an hour down the freeway.

I was a little fearful of how chaotic the process would be to check-in all 55 of us, sorting through all the extra baggage that needed to be assigned to everyone, which held all the ministry needs such as medical supplies, musical instruments, puppet show stages and boxes upon boxes of Bibles and notebooks that needed to be taken with us. We each had one personal check-on and one team check-on. Surprisingly, it went much more smoothly than I had anticipated and I quickly found myself through security and awaiting to board the first of three flights to reach Uganda.

The Portland to Minneapolis flight was a pleasant and uneventful three and a half hours. The four hour lay-over in Minneapolis was primarily spent eating and talking on the phone. Inevitably, there were several bits of information that I had forgotten to pass along to our moms who were taking care of our girls for us. Plus, I took the opportunity to call my sweet, Great-Aunt Ruth who lives there in Minnesota. She is 96 years old and is just precious! She prays for us every single day regardless of what continent we're on!

The eight hour flight from Minneapolis to Amsterdam was, of course, long. The tv system was wonderful, however. Countless movies and tv shows on demand for everyone at anytime. I watched Hairspray and a couple episodes of the Office. And after a crossword puzzle and two Sudokus we landed in The Netherlands!

This statue was begging us to sit and snap a picture~our first picture of the trip. I have no idea what they are supposed to be.

After sitting for so long, Ben and I spent the majority of our four hours here walking the entire airport. Ben even made a friend:

We hopped on another eight hour flight that would take us to the airport in Entebbe, Uganda. Entebbe is practically on the Equator, in the southern portion of Uganda. Again, I was surprised at how smoothly things went at the airport there. Customs were light, to say the least. All of our luggage arrived pretty much intact and we made our way outside into the darkness of the evening to board the 5 awaiting buses that would be our transportation for the two weeks in the country.

Ben and I opted for the large "luxury" bus for the 45 minute drive to our hotel in Kampala. This was our only time on the luxury bus, later named the "Wisdom Bus" because of the age of its most usual occupants.

We arrived extremely tired to our hotel in Kampala for a one-night stay before heading up north to Gulu. It was nice to arrive at nighttime, making it easier to fall asleep in this opposite time zone. The hotel was really cute. It reminded me of 1940's Europe. Everything was small and quaint, but very nice. We were exhausted and slept well.

Bed, at last!

Then the adventure truly began! We were told that we had a four hour drive to the northern part of Uganda to the city of Gulu where we would be staying for the entire trip (Uganda is roughly the same size as Oregon). Ben and I walked right on by the Wisdom Bus and onto what was later deemed the Party Bus. We were joined by all the high school students and a junior high youth pastor. Needless to say, we had a good time, making the best of the long journey and poor road conditions.

The four hour trip expanded into a nine hour journey that lasted well into the night. There were breakdowns, "bathroom" stops, gas stations, various "why are we stopped?" moments, torrential down pours, miles of speed bumps and more pot holes than I've ever seen in my life.

I will never again complain about a pot-hole here where we live. Check this bad boy out:

And that's IN the major city of Kampala. Once we got out of the city and onto the "open highway" they were much worse. There are no yellow dividing lines. It's basically swerve to miss pot holes, oncoming traffic, bicyclists and pedestrians as much as you can. I can't believe we weren't all vomiting an hour into the drive, but praise God, we were distracted enough in the Party Bus to keep it all inside!

Finally arriving at the Echoli Inn in Gulu, Uganda, was such a welcome treat for our soar bums and tired eyes. It was a nice hotel considering the city in which it lies. Having been on many mission trips, Ben said it was the nicest accommodations he'd ever had on a trip such as this. And yes, compared to the surroundings, it was quite luxurious and clean. For U.S. standards, it would be hard-pressed to earn one star, but we were just happy to have a bed and clean sheets.

The mosquito net was wonderful. It helped me sleep more peacefully at night knowing that I was all safely enclosed.

We had several crickets and a couple cockroaches that liked to visit our bathroom. By mid-trip I had rounded up some duct tape and taped over the gaping hole under the bathtub which is where the cockroaches would always run to hide. The last few days, we had to fill the toilet tank up with bath water so that we could flush it. And as for the shower, it was either ice cold or scalding hot, no inbetween. Ben appreciated that Biblical analogy~no luke-warm for us! It was a fun, camp sort of feel to everything, especially sleeping in the tent-like mosquito net~I liked it!

Everyday we would travel to remote villages to visit various displacement camps in the surrounding areas. The roads were quite the adventure, especially returning home in the darkness with raging lightning storms all around.

At the end of our time in Gulu, we packed back into all the buses for another nine hour journey. But this time, our destination was a one-night stay in a lodge in the middle of Uganda's wildlife sanctuary, Murchison Falls National Park. The journey was long and dusty in those little buses and we were even offered live chickens along the way (we settled for some green oranges). After so many hours of traveling dirt roads through the bush we began to wonder if there really was a legit destination or if we were on some new reality survivor show, about to be dropped off in the middle of the African bush to fend for ourselves.

But, lo and behold, out of, literally, the middle of nowhere appeared the most wonderful sight I'd ever laid eyes on: The Safari Lodge, a resort in the middle of safari country on the banks of the Nile River. The accommodations were simply unbelievable. It was a wonderful way to end our excursion, surrounded by the beauty and wonder of God's creation in this awesome country. Our rooms were spectacular, but not outdone by the view from our private lanai. I spent hours on that lanai praying, reflecting and just thanking the Lord for what He'd done in the past two weeks. It was one of the most amazing moments of my life.

But alas, morning came. And with it came the reality that it was time to go home. Ahead of us lay yet another nine hour drive down long, dusty, rut-filled roads. I am simply amazed that we only had one blow-out on these roads.

These were the dirtiest roads of all, and along with the privilege of sitting by the window for the benefits of the breeze, came the calamity of literally being caked with dirt from head to toe by the time we finally pulled into the Entebbe airport.

The traffic in Kampala was the craziest driving I have ever been in the middle of. I can't even describe it. As about what seemed to be 15 lanes would converge into an already crowded intersection, our driver would literally reach out his window and try to push other vehicles and motorcycles out of the way with his hand. It was something else.

We reached the Entebbe airport an hour later than we'd hoped. I ran into the restrooms to wash off as much of the dirt as I could and to quickly change my clothes for the plane rides home. Melting into my seat on the plane next to my husband was a welcome feeling and I was asleep before we took off.

By the time we got to Amsterdam eight hours later, we were exhausted but determined to get outside for a little bit, if only to say we did it. The frigid temperatures sent us back into the airport for some hot chocolate. But it was nice to walk around for the four hours that we were there.

Ben tried to hitch a ride on an earlier flight and I caught up with the friend that Ben had made two weeks earlier.

Eight hours to Minneapolis, five hours in Minneapolis, and three and a half hours to Portland and we finally found ourselves sitting in our awaiting Expedition for our one hour, smooth, dust-free drive home.

Whew! I'm tired again just thinking about all this travel! My next post will be more restful (and shorter!) than this one! There's more Out of Africa to come.

Thank you!

2007-11-15T13:40:00.000-08:00

As I sit here, now at home, reading through all of your comments, prayers and thoughts, I am just so grateful for you all! Thank you so much for all of your support during my trip, it helped me more than you could ever know. Your words were so wonderful!

I am on my 6th load of laundry, have finally filtered through the 131 messages in my inbox and have sorted through all of the mail. But what I have not done yet is fully process everything that I have just witnessed and been through during these last two weeks. I'm not really sure if I ever will be able to, to be honest with you. It was much bigger than me~exactly as God intended.

I will do my best to bring you some glimpses, however, of my trip in the days to come. Doing it justice will be a challenge, but I'm sure you all can fill in the blanks. Just know that God was glorified and the Holy Spirit moved in a mighty way.

Stay tuned for a few "Out of Africa" posts!

Now, I think I have some blog reading to do~why did November have to be the let's-post-everyday month??? I've got a lot of catching up to do! : )

Hello from Gulu!

2007-11-09T22:31:00.000-08:00

Hi girls! I actually had time this morning to be able to read all of your awesome comments and prayers that you have left for me! I can't tell you how appreciated you all are! I feel like you are all here with me and I can't tell you how grateful and filled up that makes me feel!

It is 9am on Saturday here in Uganda, 10pm Friday night for you all. I am in downtown Gulu at an internet cafe and the sun is shining down. What's awesome, is that the Son is also shining down in all His glory!

Jesus is doing a mighty work here! The people are so thirsty for the Living Water. It is awesome to be able to dig a well for them to fulfill their physical thirst, while at the same time fulfilling their spiritual thirst.

They are a joyful people. They have nothing, yet beam with joy because of what Jesus has done for them. And those that have not yet heard about the Good News are so eager and receptive to it. I've never seen anything like it. The villages that we travel to each day are so remote, literally in the middle of the deep bush, these words are brand-new to them.

We have festivals (crusades) every night at different locations. They are quite an undertaking. Usually we start with a puppet show which the kids just love! We have a full puppet team and they have a set that they construct every day. Then the African choir sings for about 45 minutes. They are phenomenal! That draws people in from all over the village. I, then, take the stage with my worship band and sing some American worship songs. In the camps with lots of children~which is really all of them~I've taught them some interactive kids songs like, "If you're happy and you know it clap you hands." They've really liked that. Then we've sung other songs like "Trading my Sorrows"~they love the "Yes Lord Yes Lord" part and we just jump up and down during that~and "Shout to the Lord" and "Everlasting God" and many more. I usually have the African choir stay up on stage behind me because they know many of our songs and they can dance and really help the atmosphere.

After my worship time, we have someone from our team share their testimony, then we always have a very powerful drama. Those are just awesome. They're set to music and use no words~all pantomime. They're very moving and the people are just glued to them. That sets the stage for Reid to come and preach the word. At his altar calls, I am under the stage playing "Come Just as You Are" on the keyboard as hundreds are praying to accept Christ for the first time. The rest of the team is out praying with the people. It is the most powerful thing I have ever experienced.

The kids at these displacement camps (an effect of the years of war) are just eager to be touched and smiled at. They hover around you and just hold out their hand for me to touch them. Their clothes hang on their bodies like ripped rags. I grab their hand, offer a smile and a hello and they smile and look down at the ground, so shyly. They are simply beautiful.

There are so many stories to tell that I will have to save for my return, like of my new friend Tony, a Ugandan social worker who helps us each day, who was captured by cannibals and was "almost served as a dish," when he was eleven, and Agnus, a member of the African choir, who has virtually nothing, yet bought me a necklace as a gift to bless me.

The love and generosity of these people is amazing and inspiring. I will never forget my time here. My favorite Echoli song that I have learned is "Wa bi ne no deyo pa Rot" which means "We shall see the glory of God!" It is just awesome to hear it sung by crowds of hundreds!

Thanks for your prayers~keep them coming so that our team can finish strong!

"Oriti!"

2007-10-31T20:20:00.000-07:00

.....or "Good-bye!" for my English speaking friends!

I can't believe it's finally here, but tonight Ben & I begin our journey to Gulu, Uganda. Months of planning and preparation have finally come to an end and it's time to apply all that we have worked toward.

About a week ago, Greta looked up at me with a tear cascading down her cheek and asked, "Why do you have to go to Africa?" It was a heart-wrenching moment, and a very poignant one at that, for I was forced to verbalize a non-verbal calling that God placed on my heart. How do you do that in a way in which your nine year old daughter understands?

Many people, in fact, have asked why I am doing this. It is truly an interesting process to decipher how you arrive at a certain place in life.

For me, I had never felt a calling on my life to be a "missionary." I was very satisfied "working for the Kingdom" here in my own backyard. I would leave the third world countries, the home-made clothing, the bounty of children and the mud huts to those whom God had specifically carved out for that line of work. My childhood vision of missions was very narrow-minded, obviously.

That vision radically changed, however, during my visit to Israel in the spring of 2006. More specifically, upon touring within the walls of the Old City of Jerusalem. There, I saw a land bursting with pilgrims from all four corners of the globe. For them, this was the center of all they lived for. Everywhere I looked, I saw people who realized that there is more to this life than the here and now.

They were all striving for a connection to the Creator of this universe, albeit via many different paths. In one church building,the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, atop the supposed site of Jesus' death, five churches vie for space, striving to prove that their way is the right way to heaven.

The fighting and turmoil in that land all stem from different religious views, yet the land screams Jesus. It is so evident, yet man has lost its way. It is very sad.

To see how life revolved in this fashion as I walked through the city of Jerusalem, the United States all of a sudden seemed so distant and shallow and materialistic. It's hard to best express those feelings, but it was very overwhelming.

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As I stood next to the Jordan River and worshipped Jesus with a large group of Nigerian Christians, my eyes were opened globally like they'd never been opened before. I had received a passion like I'd never felt. My life was forever changed.

A few months later, a Ugandan man named Moses, spoke to some of the small groups at our church and I found him captivating. To think of how the gospel is being spread throughout the world was just awesome. I wanted to be a part of it. Moses invited Ben and I to come to his country and help in his endeavor. Ben looked into the possibility and found it very encouraging.

From there, God opened one door after another for this mission to take place, even partnering with the dynamic Reid Saunder's Association that was planning a trip at the same time we had looked into. But the question remained in my heart: What's my purpose there? I didn't want to simply go to Africa just for the ability to say that I'm going to Africa. I wanted no selfish motive. My answer came one evening in July, when I was asked to lead worship for the RSA festivals and team meetings while in Uganda. I had my purpose and my calling.

And now it is time. Time to act. Time to walk by faith. Time to GO.

Not to say that I haven't felt my fair share of oppression. Whenever we prepare to do God's work, know that there is an enemy waiting to thwart your efforts.

Today did not go as planned. After a few very stressful days of tying up loose ends, preparing my children and house for my departure and finishing all the last minute details, my dog, Poco, had to have emergency surgery to remove two abscess teeth. This was the proverbial straw that broke the camels back for my stress level. I lost it~ right there in the vet's office. The enemy had played upon my weaknesses and had planted doubts in my mind as to whether or not I should be making this trip at all.

Garden of Gethsemane

I found myself asking Ben, "Is it too late to call the whole thing off?" But then I was reminded of Jesus' prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane on the night of His arrest: "Again he prayed, 'My Father, if there is no other way than this, drinking this cup to the dregs, I'm ready. Do it your way.'" Matthew 26:42

Jesus was facing His death. He asked His Father if there was another way, then said boldly that He was ready. Amazing. I am simply facing two weeks outside of my comfort zone. A small task in comparison.

I will return in two weeks with a new perspective on life. What that perspective will be, I have no idea. I do know that it is God-ordained, however.

Please feel free to leave several comments for me while I am gone, when you think of it. I would love to see a world record! : ) Know that I am thinking of you all while I am away, praying for you and looking forward to hearing how your lives have played out.

So, oriti! I'll be back!

Movie Faves

2007-10-28T21:30:00.000-07:00

Just a quick little game for your enjoyment (hopefully).

The following are some movie quotes from some of my favorite movies (and some that aren't really my favorites but had some good quotes). See how many you can figure out. Read the quote and name the movie title in your comment, stating the quote number with which it corresponds.

1. "That'll do, Pig."

2. "Wax on. Wax off."

3. "I believe you'll get your headlines after all, Mr. Ismay."

4. "I want my two dollars!"

5. "You have arm hair."

6. "You will always be my bosom friend."

7. "No one puts Baby in a corner."

8. "Stupid is as stupid does."

9. "Stop rhyming now, I mean it."

......And my all time favorite movie......

10. "Tomorrow is another day."

So, do you think between all of you bloggers you can figure out all ten? Maybe I should set a limit of three movie titles per person, that way some smarty pants out there won't ruin it for everyone else. Yeah, let's do it that way.

What's your favorite movie? Any guilty pleasures?

The 3rd Annual Court Street Pastors' Wives' Retreat

2007-10-23T17:45:00.000-07:00

This past Sunday, we crammed into my Expedition, for the 3rd Annual Court Street PW's retreat!

Even though it's sometimes hard to say good-bye to the kids (and husbands!), we knew that it would be worth it and that we would be home soon!

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We Rested!

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We ate GREAT food!

We got a little crazy!

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We worshipped and studied together!

We rallied 'round one another!

In short, we had an incredible couple of days of bonding, learning, loving, praying and growing. This is an incredible group of ladies, whom I am privileged to be able to know and grow along side of.

We are committed to praying for one another in our spiritual journeys, in our marriages, in our ministries and in our roles as mothers. And we are committed to praying for our wonderful church and all who attend. We are not perfect, but we are striving to put God first in all that we do.

Please be on the lookout for how we decided to expand our ministry to the women of Court Street! We are excited for the future and what God is doing!

I love you, girls!

You Title the Photo

2007-10-20T00:24:00.000-07:00

Ah, my sweet Greta Rose at 6 months old.

Here are some possible titles for this photo:

"A Wrinkle in Time"

"They're Real and They're Spectacular"

"Because So Much is Riding on Your Tires"

Now, be kind, and let me know how you'd title it.

*She took this last photo with her brand new, $30 digital camera that she bought with her own money. How cute is this girl??

Shopping Your Closet

2007-10-19T12:49:00.000-07:00

I need skirts! Long, baggy skirts!

In Africa, I will not be allowed to wear pants. The thigh area of a woman is considered taboo and needs to be hidden. My problem is that I do not own any skirts or dresses that would be appropriate. The two skirts that I have (and rarely wear), are neither long nor baggy.

So before I go out and buy several skirts to bring with me on this trip, I thought I'd try to raid your closets first! Does anybody out there have skirts that match this description hanging unused in the far reaches of your wardrobe? They may or may not be returned to you, as they encourage us to leave as many clothes behind for the Ugandans to keep.

Let me know in the next couple of days, as I will be heading out to Goodwill and Ross Dress for Less in the very near future to find some good buys on skirts that I will probably never wear again.

To explain, in case you were wondering, I have a bit of an aversion to skirts, dresses and, of course, the dreaded set of hose, because from middle school through college, if I wasn't on the court or on the field, I was singing somewhere. And back in those days, my singing career meant wearing shoulder-padded dresses, shiny nylons and high-heels. The high-heels stuck with me, but I will never-ever again wear nylons, and very rarely wear dresses or skirts. Praise God for grace when it comes to "Sunday Best" attire!

Anyway, thanks for any help you can give me! And remember, I'm 5'10'' with a little junk in the trunk, if you know what I'm sayin'!

Powerful Weakness

2007-10-17T10:23:00.000-07:00

My weakness makes me stumble; it laughs when I am down.
My weakness knows no foe and always stays around.
My weakness is insulting and hurls its hurtful sling
Straight at my heart and won’t back down until I feel its sting.

My gift helps me to rise up; gets me on solid ground.
My gift gives me the courage to triumphantly resound.
My gift, it knows no boundaries on this place I call my home.
Where weakness comes to steal its shine, my gift is brightly shone.

Weakness succeeded in pushing me down. It pushed me to my knees.
I begged God to remove it, thinking He’d honor my pleas.
Then He said "My grace is all you need.
My strength will be your lead."

While my weakness may endure, it’s there I find my gift.
Learning to delight in it, when I’m tempted just to quit.
God’s grace is sufficient, my weakness enables His power.
For my gift IS my weakness, it’s where God’s power comes from.

‘Cause the weaker that I get, the stronger I become.

2 Cor. 12: 1-10

Smooth Move

2007-10-16T02:27:00.000-07:00

I am never late.

Ok,"never" may be extreme. I suppose there has been the rare occurrence that some extenuating circumstance beyond my control may have made me the slightest bit late for something once or twice. But, in general, I am never late. Nothing brings me more pleasure than arriving exactly two minutes early. Ok, "nothing" may be extreme. I suppose there are other events that are more pleasurable, but that's for another post.

Today, I was to arrive at North Lancaster Kaiser at exactly 3:15pm for a doctor's appointment to be fitted with a brace for my ankle. My torn ligament needed some support. Grabbing my crutch and daughter, I hopped into the car at just the perfect time, factoring in the late afternoon traffic for my route.

To my horror, as I was traveling down Keubler toward I-5, I realized I hadn't shaved my legs in at least two, yes, maybe even three days. At a stop light, I confirmed that I did indeed have mild to moderate stubble on the very ankle that was to be examined.

In a panic I checked the clock, calculating the risk of turning back home to remedy the situation. Too risky. I would perhaps be late. I couldn't take that chance. My mind raced as I stayed on course, picturing the apologies I would be making to the doctor, nurse and x-ray tech for my unsightly stubble. This was not acceptable.

Thinking ahead on my route, I realized that I would be passing right by the Walgreen's on the corner of Lancaster and Sunnyslope. Could I do it? I wondered. It would all depend upon the traffic between my exit and Lancaster. It would have to be a perfectly smooth operation.

The traffic on Market was heavier than I'd hoped, but as I finally turned onto Lancaster, I saw that perhaps I could actually pull this off.

I rolled into the Walgreen's parking lot and hobbled into the store. An employee saw the look of desperation on my face and came to my aid. She directed me to the razors and even opened her register so that I didn't have to wait in line at the other.

I returned to my car in a matter of minutes, got back onto Lancaster, and shaved my right leg, toes to knee, while waiting at the stoplight at Sunnyslope, using a bottle of hand sanitizer that I had in my car.

It stung a bit, but crisis averted. I hobbled up to the check-in counter at Kaiser at exactly 3:13pm. Mission accomplished.

Ouch!!

2007-10-11T23:29:00.000-07:00

POP!!

That's the noise that I and those around me heard tonight during a "just for fun" scrimmage volleyball game after coaching Greta's practice. The noise came from my right ankle.

I immediately knew that I had done something bad. I calmly stood and evaluated the situation. Can it bear weight? Very little, but I'm tough. I took a few ginger steps toward a chair as the sweet volleyball girls rushed to my aid. I stopped before the chair, realizing that my whole body was tingling and darkness was emerging all around me. I knew that the rush of God's wonderful pain killer, adrenaline, was surging through my body. I needed to sit down before I passed out. I sat, took a deep breath and waited for the adrenaline to equalize and do its intended job as I smiled to those hovering around me, explaining that it wasn't good, but I'm going to be ok.

Now, before I go on, let me just take a moment to explain something to you. When it comes to sports, I have two modes: spectator or out-for-blood. It's a problem that I have. Just yesterday, I was at Applebee's with some fellow soccer moms and the jovial conversation quickly turned to one fateful day when the coach of our then eight year old daughters had the brilliant idea to have the girls play the moms for practice. Without going into all the details, I'll just say that two of the girls were bleeding and holding never-used-in-three-years ice packs to injuries I had caused them. I was then banned from all such situations. This very character trait is the reason I am elevating my ankle at this very moment. Back to the story.

I opted to trust God's painkiller to get me home, figuring I had about 15 minutes until sheer and utter agony. My right foot was able to rest on the accelerator peddle just enough to go, but there was no way I could use that foot to brake. My left foot quickly obliged and I made it home to my wonderful husband who quickly got a bucket of ice water for me to soak my ankle. He also provided me with painkillers, blankets and pillows for elevation, then scoured the Internet for the best treatment options. I love him! Then he laughed as I asked him to fetch the camera so that I could document this for you all. Blogs.

After my first icy cold soaking session I thought I was going to die, it hurt so badly! But eventually, after two more 20 minute icings, the diversion of "Don't Forget the Lyrics," and the chocolate chip cookies Greta made for me, the throbbing pain has settled down quite a bit unless I move it in any way.

I don't think it's broken, but I am praying that this won't be a long term ailment. There's places to go and things to be done! But I also appreciate the times when God "pops" in and says, "Hey! Take a load off! Rest in me awhile. It'll be ok." I can do that.

So that's where I am now, praying that in three weeks, as I walk the plains in Africa, I'll be able to keep up with the rest.

And, by the way, I hope you all enjoy the excellent view of Freaky Toe. Yes, the second toe of my right foot is unusually short. I have come to accept and even love it. It brings flare and conversation starters whenever I wear my strappy high heels. Thank you Freaky Toe, you've been good to me.

Human Pin Cushion

2007-10-08T18:06:00.001-07:00

The realities of just how close I am to flying off to Uganda became perfectly clear today. I am about to go to a third world country and I got the point~literally.

Six shots in all, three in each arm.

Truth be told, I actually enjoy getting shots. I also enjoy giving blood. It's fun for me. My natural instinct is to make it into a competition. My goal is always to fill my bag of blood before the person next to me. I know, I am sick and twisted.

Isn't it great to know that God can use even us sick and twisted ones for His kingdom?! What a relief, because I don't feel that I necessarily fit the profile for the missionaries that I remember visiting my church when I was young. God wants ME! And YOU! Just how we are.

So, as I prepare to embark upon the trenches in Africa, I will have sore deltoids and a touch of yellow fever for this week, but it's nothing compared to the life conditions of those we are going to be ministering to. It's a humbling thought. There's plenty to do and still money to be raised, but I am confident that, by God's grace, it will all come together just as He planned.

And when I start to get down on myself, thinking that I'm not good enough to do this work, I simply remember the following:

Noah was a drunk
Abraham was too old
Isaac was a daydreamer
Jacob was a liar
Leah was ugly
Joseph was abused
Moses had a stuttering problem
Gideon was afraid
Samson had long hair and was a womanizer
Rahab was a prostitute
Jeremiah and Timothy were too young
David had an affair and was a murderer
Elijah was suicidal
Isaiah preached naked
Jonah ran from God
Naomi was a widow
Job went bankrupt
John the Baptist ate bugs
Peter denied Christ
The Disciples fell asleep while praying
Martha worried about everything
The Samaritan woman was divorced, more than once
Zaccheus was too small
Paul was too religious
Timothy had an ulcer
AND Lazarus was dead!

Amen!

Isaiah 6:8
Then I heard the Lord asking, “Whom should I send as a messenger to this people? Who will go for us?”
I said, “Here I am. Send me.”

Just for Giggles

2007-10-07T10:08:00.000-07:00

21st Century Friends

2007-10-06T14:40:00.000-07:00

"Greta! Come to the computer and see this adorable girl named Sarah! You're going to meet her on Saturday at your volleyball game!"

When I was 9 years old, those words could not have been uttered, for they would have made no sense at all. But lo and behold we live in a glorious day and age where virtual friends can become flesh and blood realities! That is exactly what happened today!

Greta had seen pictures of Sarah on her mom's blog, LizzyG, of A Look Inside, and, always eager to make a new friend, Greta was excited to meet her in real life. And I was just as excited to meet the infamous Liz, aka LizzyG!

It was somewhat like a scene out of You've Got Mail, whereas I felt as if I needed to be carrying my favorite book with a rose in it, like it was some sort of blind date or something! Pretty funny when you think about it. As I entered the gymnasium, I scanned the crowd for some sort of familiar face from blogland references, but no one matched the bill. Apparently Liz saw me first and came around from the other side of the bleachers to say hello. What a fun meeting! We both had to laugh as we realized how weird and cool this was at the same time!

I think that other than the fact that Greta and I dwarfed them like we were strange giants, we felt like kindred spirits! So, thanks, Blogland~you done good!

Middle School Life

2007-10-05T15:33:00.000-07:00

I don't feel old enough to have children. In fact, now that I have a middle school-aged child, I feel more like a middle schooler myself.

It's funny how, as parents, we tend to enjoy the same things our kids do as they grow up. When Gabby was a toddler my favorite TV show was Little Bear and my favorite movie was Babe. I spent a lot of time on the floor, like she did, and I rekindled my love of Pop Tarts. As the kids grew, I welcomed the world of Spongebob with open arms and enjoyed shooting hoops with them in the driveway.

Now that Gabby is in middle school, it's all about music, friends, fun jewelry and make-up~and of course, boys. I've already chosen my boy, but I can wear fun jewelry with the best of them. And it's fun to watch them giggle over their possibilities of BFs.

Yesterday, Gabby had three of her friends over and they eventually found themselves in a wrestling match with one main goal: to try and obtain one of their cell phones that had a juicy text message on it from a boy they all had crushes on. I had to laugh, because I remember doing the same thing, only instead of a text on a cell phone, it was a college-ruled lined piece of paper folded neatly into a triangular shape with the tucked-in flap and the words "open here" on it next to an arrow. Technology. The paper would usually end up torn and battered past the point of being able to read the coveted boy chicken scratch.

When they're over I start saying words such as "like" and "totally." They just come out, like they have a magical key that opens those middle school files in my brain. I like to hang out with them and get into their heads. It's very amusing.

But really, even when I hang out with my "grown-up" friends I still think that we more closely resemble those middle school girls than any group my mom would have associated with when I still lived with my parents. Maybe things are different today than they were twenty years ago. Are people aging more slowly? Or is there just a whole new attitude? I'm not sure, but I do know that there's nothing like girl time, whether it's seeing my daughter with her friends, or enjoying time with my own posse. There's nothing like it.

Here's to the girls in my life, both young and old (er). Thanks for enriching my life!

Footprints on My Heart

2007-10-02T12:58:00.000-07:00

Eleanor Roosevelt once said, "Many people will walk in and out of your life, but only true friends will leave footprints in your heart."

Heather and Nolan have left footprints on my heart. A "quick visit" yesterday to their home near Seattle turned into a wonderful five hours of laughter, tears, and remembering. They are a stellar couple that I wish all of you could know personally.

Heather's brilliant smile and cozy sweatsuit hide the evidence of what her body has just undergone.

I want to thank all those who committed to pray for my friend, Heather, after her recent heart-attack and subsequent quadruple bypass surgery. She is on the road to recovery and is celebrating a new life: physically, mentally and spiritually. This recovery road will be a long one, as she is unable to lift her infant for possibly ten weeks, and even the force of opening the front door would put too much strain on her healing chest at this point. Even going up and down the stairs to her front porch proves strenuous, as the incision down the inseam of her leg is extremely soar.

(Make sure to pause the music before watching the video)

Throughout it all, though, as you can see from the video, the fruits of the Spirit remain vibrant and ripe in her life. Her main prayer concern now is for the hospital staff in which she was able to share the Good News with, especially Nurse Sherry.

Their adorable kids, Dane 6, Molly 4, Cole 2 and Jack 2 months, will be returning home with them soon, which will be a happy reunion. They enjoy dancing in the living room while Nolan entertains them with his amazing Bluegrass abilities on the guitar, banjo and mandolin.

Heather's body will heal, but the scars will remain with her forever. She chooses to see them, however, as awesome reminders of God's love for her and wonderful tools for evangelism. Amazingly as it seems, she is actually thankful for this opportunity that God has provided her.

What a wonderful example she is, and a lifelong friend. Thank you, Heather!

James 1:2-4

Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.

I Am Not

2007-09-28T17:09:00.000-07:00

I am not a rocket scientist.

I am not a dancer.

I am not a scrapbooker.

I am not a college graduate.

I am not a man.

I am not a killer whale trainer.

I am not an artist.

I am not perfect.

I am not a professional singer.

I am not a chef.

I am not a golfer.

I am not a soccer player.

I am not an employee.

I am not a super hero.

I am not an engineer.

I am not a gardener.

I am not disappointed that I am not these things.

There was a time in my life where I seemed to continually focus on the things that I was not. Many of the things in this "not" list were once aspirations of mine.

I stopped focusing on all the things I am not a long time ago. This enables me to be the best me that I can be, working on all the things that I am.

God knew what He was doing when He created us, blessing us with certain talents and abilities to be used for His glory, careful to make each of us unique with things that we are and certainly things we are not.

I am thankful for all the things that I am NOT. I am striving to honor God in all the things that I AM.

Psalm 139:13-16 (The Message)
Oh yes, you shaped me first inside, then out; you formed me in my mother's womb. I thank you, High God—you're breathtaking! Body and soul, I am marvelously made! I worship in adoration—what a creation! You know me inside and out, you know every bone in my body; You know exactly how I was made, bit by bit, how I was sculpted from nothing into something. Like an open book, you watched me grow from conception to birth; all the stages of my life were spread out before you, the days of my life all prepared before I'd even lived one day.

Coach Sharon

2007-09-26T11:55:00.000-07:00

Ben has had the privilege of being called "Coach" by both our daughters throughout the years. He did an excellent job coaching many of their soccer teams. I, however, do not know very much about soccer, nor do I really like the sport all that much, which pretty much left me out of the coaching realm.

Greta also plays basketball, which I could have coached, but there was a coach already in place. I thought I was destined to be forever the non-coach parent.

Then, Greta signed up for volleyball! Could there be a better sport? I think not. Of all the sports I played, volleyball was my favorite. And the best news was that her team was in need of a coach! I signed up right away!

We had our second practice last night, and I have to tell you that I am very impressed with how these 3rd and 4th graders are coming along!

Greta and I are having so much fun, and I absolutely love being called Coach Sharon!

Not Everything's Free

2007-09-24T11:38:00.000-07:00

Riverfest Admission: Free

Watching the BFC Skateboarders: Free

Seeing the BMX dudes fly through the air: Free

Marveling at the motocross stunts: Free

Worshipping with tens of thousands: Free

Dancing with your middle school daughter to Jars of Clay: Free

Witnessing hundreds come to Christ: Death on the cross

Thank you, Jesus, for your sacrifice. And thank you RSA for the boldness to proclaim the gospel in such a magnificent way.

Riverfest

2007-09-22T22:39:00.000-07:00

After chaperoning Gabby's concert choir retreat at Crossler today, I returned home tired. (Ben was actually adventurous enough to spend the night at it last night, sans his c-pap machine because he loves Gabby). Everything in my being wanted to relax on the couch and spend the rest of the afternoon and evening in a vegetative state.

Today, however, was the first day of Salem Riverfest. We have been looking forward to and praying for this weekend for months. Wishing I had more energy, I grabbed my sweatshirt and the four of us piled into the car as quickly as we could, arriving around 4pm.

We were all amazed at the spread! Riverfront Park was alive with thousands of people and activities, far beyond what I have ever seen there.

After walking through the kids' zone and food booths, we were stopped dead in our tracks, watching the motocross stunt dudes. Gabby honestly thought she was about to witness someone crash to their death. What they were doing was absolutely unbelievable!

Then we made our way to the main stage and caught the Jump 5 concert--which the girls loved. After Jump 5, I am proud to say that I attended my very first hip-hop concert. Grits was thoroughly entertaining (although, I think Julie would say that the music was a little "rough" for her taste!). Reid Saunders took the stage after that and proclaimed the gospel to the thousands in attendance and we watched as hundreds of people made decisions for Christ. It was awesome.

Despite the chilly weather toward the end, it was a spectacular event. And here's the good news: it happens all over again tomorrow! So Sunday afternoon, head over to Riverfront Park and check it out! Bring chairs and blankets and enjoy the activities, music and life change. I'm especially looking forward to Big Daddy Weave and Jars of Clay in the evening, and, of course, being witness to the expansion of God's kingdom. There's nothing like it.

Hope to see you there!

Heather's Heart

2007-09-21T10:39:00.000-07:00

If you knew Heather, you would certainly characterize her as a sweetheart or a kind-hearted person. Her heart is always full of love and friendship. She was my classmate and dear friend for my six years at Seattle Christian, and I treasure the memories that I have with her. Heather was the captian of our cheerleading squad and was voted "Most School Sprit" in our senior yearbook. Her amazing heart was and still is inspiring.

1992, Senior picture

Today I found out that Heather's heart betrayed her in a horrific way. As I write this, she is recovering in a Tacoma hospital, having just undergone quadruple bypass surgery. As I type those words, I still struggle in facing the reality of that fact.

Having spoken to a mutual friend today, I was told that Heather had a major heart attack on Wednesday and very nearly lost her life. She had just given birth to her fourth child one month ago, and apparently the surge of hormones released during childbirth thinned the lining of the arteries in her heart and four of them burst. This is an extremely rare occurrence, from what I understand, and the events that led to her treatment were truly miraculous.

Heather and me, Sophomore year

I am told that she is expected to make a full recovery, and I would like to ask that you lift her and her family up in prayer at this unbelievable time. It's obvious that God still has plans for her here and that her heart will now be bursting with passion and gratitude.

The Ends of the Earth

2007-09-18T13:05:00.000-07:00

In Romans, Paul puts forth the challenge to bring the Good News "to the ends of the earth." Have you ever wondered where the "ends of the earth" is? I suppose it is relative to where on the earth you live, but as for Ben and me, we have an incredible opportunity to answer that challenge.

Evangelism has always been of the utmost importance to the two of us. Aside from the work we do here at the church, Ben has served on several short-term mission trips to North America, Central & South America, and the Philippines. My mission fields are the sidelines of our daughters' soccer games, the public school system, and other various places that life takes me. I love to take advantage of any opportunity that God places in my life.

But now, the challenge that God has put on our hearts does, in fact, seem to take us to the ends of the earth, even as soon as November 1st. We are planning to team up with the Reid Saunders Association to bring the Good News to the people of Gulu, Uganda, a small country in central Africa.

Until recently, Uganda has been ravaged by war, deeming it unsafe for a trip of this nature. But now, with the peace that prevails, the door has been flung wide open to reach these people for Christ, most of whom have never heard this Message, while at the same time, aiding them in their day-to-day life, by drilling new wells and providing much needed medical attention.

Each day of our trip will consist of medical clinics, well drilling, VBS for children, and a special conference for the local pastors of the region, giving them the necessary tools to continue the ministry there. Each night, we will be putting on an evangelistic festival, featuring puppets, music, drama and a message. I am very excited to have the opportunity to use my gifts by leading worship for these festivals. Ben will be serving as pastor to our team and helping in the training of Gulu’s local pastors.

We would feel honored if you would partner with us in this awesome challenge by committing to pray for us and the people we will be ministering to. Romans 8:31 promises that "If God is for us, who can be against us?" It is our desire to change the lives of the people of Gulu, knowing that our lives will never be the same as well.

If you are able, please commit to pray for us in the weeks to come as we prepare to depart, and then also during the two weeks that we will physically be in Uganda, Nov. 1 - 14. This is a tangible way in which we can all help fulfill the Great Commission.

Thank you so much for your support, prayers and love! God is good. All the time.

Where to?

2007-09-15T20:26:00.000-07:00

My family is in the midst of a little game and the stakes are pretty large.

We are attempting to check off a list of all 50 states in the union as we see them drive by our car window on license plates.

Yes, it's something we've all done before, but here's our twist: The last state we see on a license plate is the state we have to go for our next vacation!

The girls are very excited and really into this! We've been working all summer and only have 13 states left to see, so it's getting down to crunch time!

Check out what we have left to see and cast your vote as to where you think we should go!

You may have noticed that Hawaii is not pictured here. We saw that plate last weekend....much to the dismay of our children.

All's Fair

2007-09-14T11:08:00.000-07:00

Gabby was less than thrilled that I posted her braces pictures......So, to redeem myself, I had my mom e-mail me some gems from the past. Enjoy.

April 8, 1987: I was the exact same age as Gabby.

Now you may blackmail me for whatever you'd like.

Happy Birthday Abby!!!

2007-09-13T22:43:00.000-07:00

Today is Abby's birthday!!

Happy birthday, my dear friend! I hope you had a wonderful day today, and that you'll have an amazing year ahead. You never cease to amaze me and I am so glad you are in my life!!

I love you! Remember the little Japanese birthday giveaway guy at the Mariner's game that night? I think he still thinks of us! : )

We've braced ourselves

2007-09-13T14:56:00.000-07:00

8:15am
9:45am

10:35am

I think she looks pretty cute! As long as you say she looks older, she'll be fine with that. She is, after all, my carbon copy.

i-Bay, u-Bay, we all Bay at eBay

2007-09-11T14:55:00.000-07:00

Call it a collection or a fetish, but I just LOVE ring watches! I'm so excited because I just bought this new little gold number on E-bay. I think this will be my seventh or eighth ring watch. I stopped counting, but now I think I have at least one for every day of the week. Too bad the week isn't longer.

How awesome is eBay? What can't you buy there? There's so many crazy things listed, I sometimes am left wondering who in the world would purchase that...but those people must be out there somewhere because those crazy things are selling!

I want to know what YOU are buying on eBay. Any treasures? Any flops? Anyone else have a weird collection like I do?

School Daze

2007-09-07T14:25:00.000-07:00

I used to think that I could spot a home schooled kid a mile away. In my mind, they all seemed to be very quiet, plain, well-behaved children. Usually they were dressed in second-hand clothing and, even in their high school years didn't wear a stitch of make-up. That was the stereo-type, unfair as it was, that I had in my mind.

Until the summer of 2000.

I made my annual trek to Camp Cherith for a week of summer camp. I had ten high school girls in my cabin that year, half of which turned out to be home schooled. Two of them fit my aforementioned stereo-type, but the other three smashed the mold. One was adorably out-going and bubbly, one was a fashion queen, and one was a pure thespian. They were all so different from one another and I thoroughly enjoyed getting to know each and every one of them.

Driving the five hours home from camp provided ample time for me to reflect on what I had learned and experienced that past week. Realizing that my oldest daughter was preparing to start kindergarten that fall, I began to ponder the possibility of home schooling, which was something that had never entered my mind before. In fact, up until that point, I honestly thought that it did a disservice to your children, and was so thankful my mom hadn't home schooled me.

As I thought about those five home schooled girls in my cabin, I marveled at how different they were from one another, which I learned was a direct result of the different personality types of their parents. Yet, they all shared something in common. This was what had captured my attention. Despite their differences in personality and appearance, all five of them loved the Lord, had a great relationship with their parents, and had an awesome friendship with their siblings. That was what I wanted for my kids!

I understood that there are exceptions to those rules, meaning not every home schooled child possesses those traits, while there are, in fact, many public schooled kids that do. But, remembering back on many of my school years, of the three traits, the only one that remained consistent was my great relationship with my brother.

So, to help avoid the pitfalls that I fell into as a youth, I had made my decision to buck the system and teach my kids at home.

Very quickly did I find out that this was not a very popular nor applauded decision by many, including my husband! I had nonchalantly told him over the phone that I'd made this decision and he just about dropped the receiver. Apparently this was to be a joint decision, and he needed some time to get to the point I was at!

After a month of researching on both our parts, and even registering at the local public school, it finally came down to the kindergarten open house that finally sealed the deal. We both walked away from that experience feeling like we'd both been handed a letter of confirmation directly from God Himself, affirming that the home school option was the one for us.

Thus began one of the biggest blessings in my life! It fits our family so well! The flexibility and freedom is wonderful, and so far, I am so thankful that both of my girls do, in fact, love the Lord, love Ben & me, and love each other. That is all I ever wanted, but the benefits have proven to be even greater than I could have imagined.

We have just completed the third day of my eighth year of teaching my girls. So far so good! Gabby started taking some electives last year in sixth grade at our local middle school, and we continued that this year for seventh grade. She takes PE sports, drama, jazz choir and concert choir there. I do everything else at home. Greta still stays home 100% of the time. She is in fourth grade this year, and just loves to learn!

I am blessed by my children and so thankful that God led me down the path of home schooling. He knew what would be best for my family, as always. Thank you, God!

Here we are in August of 2005 for the girls' baptisms. God is good. All the time.

The Great American Family Vacation

2007-08-31T23:47:00.001-07:00

In classic Griswold fashion, my parents loaded my brother and me into the wood-paneled station wagon for a three-week, cross-country trek.

It was August of 1987, making this the 20 year anniversary of one of the most endearing childhood memories I have. To bring perspective to how long ago this actually was, check out my brother's boom-box, tucked neatly under his arm.

From our starting point in Seattle, we headed due east, passing by Grand Coulee Dam and then moving through Idaho. Our first major stop was in Yellowstone National Park, where we enjoyed this spectacular view out of our window in the Old Faithful Inn.

My mom was a master vacation planner. Armed with her AAA highlighted map of the U.S., she made sure this expedition contained fun for all. Specifically for my benefit, she planned two separate days of horse riding adventures. Here is the first one, in Yellowstone Park. I believe this picture graced our 1987 Christmas card.

Upon leaving Yellowstone, we made our way through parts of Montana, with our next major goal being South Dakota. More specifically, Wall Drug and Mt. Rushmore. If you've ever driven rural America toward this destination, you undoubtedly came across several clever little signs encouraging drivers to stop off at Wall Drug. It makes driving through Big Sky Country a little more entertaining. What we were unaware of, however, at the time of this particular leg of our journey, was that we were about to inadvertently partake in the 64th Annual Harley Davidson Convention in Sturgis, South Dakota. Finally reaching Wall Drug, we found ourselves surrounded by 80,000 pony-tailed and tattooed motorcyclists. They were quite jovial, but unfortunately occupied every single hotel bed within a 60 mile radius of the city. After driving through the Badlands at 1am, we finally resigned ourselves to the fact that we would be bedding down in the wagon that night, watching the severe thunder storm and listening to fire alarms sound all night long.

In a cafe enjoying lunch, we overheard one of the bikers tell his woman that he'd like to go see the "guys on the hill" later that day. We decided to see the "guys," too.

A large priority on this adventure was to take in as many Major League Baseball parks as was humanly possible. This was primarily for my brother's benefit, but really it was very much enjoyed by all of us. Here, the Twins are playing in the inflated Metrodome in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

While in Minnesota, my mom arranged to have a family reunion for many of her Aunts, Uncles and Cousins that live in the area. I especially enjoyed meeting my second cousins and seeing where my blonde hair came from. Finally my brother was the odd man out.

In Milwaukee, Wisconsin, we cheered as the Brewers beat the Rangers in Milwaukee County Stadium.

Reaching Illinois, where my mom spent her early childhood, one of the highlights (pun intended) was the view from the top of the Sears Tower.

Chi-Town enjoys two MLB teams, so, of course, we took them both in at their historic ball fields: The White Sox at Comiskey Park, and The Cubs at Wrigley Field.

It was due time for another day on horseback.

Making the big turn and heading back toward the west, we took in the breath-taking St. Louis Arch.

Then, back to the ballpark it was! We watched the Phillies visit the Cardinals here at Busch Stadium in St. Louis, Missouri.

The next day, the next baseball game. Royal's Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri, was, by far, the most beautiful of its day, despite the searing heat.

To add to the excitement of the journey, we endured a few days of monsoon-like, record-breaking rainfall and flash-floods. The wagon stood firm through it all, unlike my mom, at times.

My mom absolutely lost it, though, on the death-defying drive to the summit of Pike's Peak in Colorado. She was very certain that my dad was going to send us plummeting over the un-guarded edge to our deaths.

We made it, however, and enjoyed the gorgeous views.

Colorado also exposed us to some stellar caves where we learned the differences between stalactites and stalagmites.

Heading back west through Utah, my brother needed to check and make sure that the Great Salt Lake was living up to its name.

After a quick stop in Bend, Oregon, we finally returned home to the greatest city of all, Seattle.

Armed with unimaginable memories and American trivia learned first-hand, this vacation remains among the best we'd ever had. Despite my love of flying, I realize that there is no substitute for watching this great land unfold right out of the backseat window at 65 mph. And certainly the greatest benefit of a vacation of that nature is the inevitable family bonding. No time spent with family is wasted time.

I will treasure these memories for as long as I live, and Ben and I are working toward providing our two girls with their own stockpile of treasured family memories.

Where did you go on your favorite family vacation? I'd encourage you to take a stroll down memory lane. It's a great feeling. Thanks for joining me in my stroll!

Woven together at the Woolen Mill

2007-08-28T15:32:00.000-07:00

Seen here at the rehearsal dinner, Aaron and Emily could hardly believe that they were a mere 24 hours from becoming husband and wife! So much planning and preparation had finally become fruition.
And with God's grace on top of all that planning, the results were lovely and sweet. Mission Mill proved a gorgeous setting for the day, in lieu of our church's construction zone. The weather was absolutely perfect, and with the help of several friends and family, all the details came together wonderfully.

Here is the whole wedding party in the serene outdoor setting where all the pictures were staged.

Congratulations Aaron and Emily! This was a perfect day. May God bless your marriage richly! We love you!

We're all in this together

2007-08-18T11:12:00.000-07:00

What time is it? Summer time! It's finally High School Musical 2 time!

We had a full-on, super fun, slumber party last night in celebration of the premier of the new Disney Channel movie! Gabby had 5 of her soccer friends over and Greta had a friend over, too. Throw in a couple little sisters of the soccer girls, and a fellow soccer mom, mix in streamers and plenty of balloons, coupled with tons of pizza and snacks and what do you get? A BLAST!

Then....at the stroke of midnight, I took the "big girls" out for a little TPing action! Dressed all in black, we ran into Winco to stockpile our TP supplies, then made our way to the soccer coach's house! One of Gabby's friends was sure we were going to be arrested, but it was a complete success! A night they won't soon forget!

Anyone else catch the movie? We totally loved it! What did you think?

The Bee-Atti-Whats?

2007-08-09T23:59:00.000-07:00

I can vividly remember sitting in the poorly carpeted Sunday School room trying to make sense of what my teachers were trying to convey to me. For some reason, all around me were pictures of overjoyed cartoon bees. It seemed that at least once every year there was some sort bee convention at my church. This was the time of year that we would learn about "The Beattitudes."

For all their hard work at taping and stapling those happy hornets around the room, I never really understood what the Beattitudes were all about. It all seemed strange to me: "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven."
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Huh? What does that mean exactly? If my spirit is rich I can't go to heaven? What are these blue-haired women trying to tell me? I never really could get past that first "Bee" before tuning out. My mind would drift to the broken room-divider folded like an accordion against the middle of one of the walls. I'd wonder when was the last time it had actually served its intended purpose to really divide the room in two. I'd stare at the past-its-prime bulletin board and remember the decor of months past because of the haunting shapes that were never faded by the sun.
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Yes, those lessons were lost on me back in my youth, unfortunately. Aside from the clever play-on-words and spiffy decorations, I didn't take much away from the Beattitudes lessons in Sunday School.
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Thankfully, however, God is merciful and provides us with an ever growing understanding of His word and newer translations for us to soak up.
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Ben & I found ourselves reading through Matthew chapter five last night, and I was "blessed" to be able to read the Beattitudes through the paraphrase of The Message. Do you remember those folks who are "poor in spirit?" Here's how The Message translates that: "You're blessed when you're at the end of your rope. With less of you there is more of God and His rule."
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How awesome is that? That's something I can wrap my mind around. I have been there! I have been at the end of my rope! In fact, last night, the reason Ben & I were reading the Bible together at that moment was because we did, in a certain circumstance, feel "at the end of our rope!" And guess what? We were blessed, because there was less of us and more of God and His rule. It's so true.
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The Bible is so alive. It can always speak something new into your life, no matter how many times you've read a passage. You will always read it from a different place and so it will always be relevant in a different way. And when you read a very familiar passage from a totally different translation, it can speak to you on an entirely different level sometimes, as it did for me last night.
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Here's the rest of the Beattitudes from The Message:
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3"You're blessed when you're at the end of your rope. With less of you there is more of God and his rule.

4"You're blessed when you feel you've lost what is most dear to you. Only then can you be embraced by the One most dear to you.

5"You're blessed when you're content with just who you are—no more, no less. That's the moment you find yourselves proud owners of everything that can't be bought.

6"You're blessed when you've worked up a good appetite for God. He's food and drink in the best meal you'll ever eat.

7"You're blessed when you care. At the moment of being 'care-full,' you find yourselves cared for.

8"You're blessed when you get your inside world—your mind and heart—put right. Then you can see God in the outside world.

9"You're blessed when you can show people how to cooperate instead of compete or fight. That's when you discover who you really are, and your place in God's family.

10"You're blessed when your commitment to God provokes persecution. The persecution drives you even deeper into God's kingdom.

11-12"Not only that—count yourselves blessed every time people put you down or throw you out or speak lies about you to discredit me. What it means is that the truth is too close for comfort and they are uncomfortable. You can be glad when that happens—give a cheer, even!—for though they don't like it, I do! And all heaven applauds. And know that you are in good company. My prophets and witnesses have always gotten into this kind of trouble.

I hope you find yourselves "blessed" today.

Brace Yourself

2007-08-01T22:24:00.001-07:00

Ben & I had hoped to avoid this day. After all, the girls did have a 50/50 shot at having perfect teeth. My teeth are artificially perfect, meaning two years of orthodontia, while Ben was blessed with perfect alignment from the get-go.

Gabby and Greta each took their turn in the orthodontist chair yesterday, as the doctor feverishly wrote notes on which procedures he would need to perform in order to align their teeth. "I'm sorry," was all I could say, knowing that it was my genes that were responsible for their current predicament.

So, Gabby will officially be a brace-face come September 13th, while Greta will need to get a tooth pulled and will have a very cumbersome retainer that won't allow her to fully bite down until her cross-bite is fixed. She'll even need to eat with it in. Then her braces will be applied.

The most shocking moment of the visit, however, was the mention of "head-gear" for Gabby. I had no idea they still did that sort of thing! Visions of Joan Cusack from a certain 80's teen movie, unsuccessfully attempting to drink water from the drinking fountain because her overwhelming head-gear was in the way kept creeping into my head. She'll only need to wear it at nighttime, or whenever she's inclined to wear it around the house. Gabby actually took the news pretty well. I was proud of her.

The next few years will be filled with metal, band changing, lots of brushing and picking, maybe a few cut gums, and a new set of monthly bills, but the results will be priceless!

I had my braces through seventh and eighth grade, so as Gabby begins her seventh grade year, there's just another reason to utter the proverbial phrase "Like mother, Like daughter." Sorry, girls! It'll be worth it in the end!

Got any good braces stories?

Another year in the books

2007-07-30T19:50:00.000-07:00

Every year I return from camp thanking God for the opportunity to serve there. He always provides me with solid evidence as to why I was intended to be there. It seems that each year has a different purpose. Sometimes there is a particular girl whom I really connect to and I can speak into her life. Other times there has been a staff member who needed some counsel or encouragement. And yet other times, God seems to be mostly working on me.

This was one of those "me" years.

The "personal growth" years at camp are the most trying. It's so much easier to focus on helping others than learning a personal lesson. But God's plans are always the best plans. No matter how many times I return to Camp Cherith, I have come to realize that there will always be variances and curve balls, and I can never sit back on my heels thinking that I've got it all under control. I must rely on God's power each and every time. That's where He wants us to be.

I am thankful that I am returning from camp a different person than when I left. God is certainly not finished with me yet, just as He is working on all of us. He continues to chisel away and carve us into the image of His Son.

Thank you, God! And thank you, Camp Cherith, for being a vessel.

Here's a picture of the high school girls in my cabin.

Camp Cherith Legacy

2007-07-20T00:17:00.000-07:00

It's that time of year! Every July, I make my annual trek up north for a fun-filled week at Cascade Camp Cherith. It's a camp through Pioneer Clubs, which is like a Christian Girl Scouts type of thing. It's really awesome and I'm always so excited to go! In fact, I've been going there since 1982! I guess I just can't get enough! The coolest thing now, though, is that my kids get to come with me! I'm the counselor for the high school aged girls, so I'm not with my daughters very much, but it's so much fun to see them at meals and other passings during the day.

Here I am in 1982 with my very first counselor!

This is Gabby's first time at camp back in 2003. She's in the striped shirt.

And here's Greta's first year of camp in 2005, canoeing with Maggie.

I covet your prayers throughout the week as I minister and build relationships with my high school girls, and for my own kids that they truly have a fun time and experience God in a real and powerful way.

See you all in a week!

We the Jury

2007-07-18T11:59:00.000-07:00

It came in the mail a few weeks back: my jury summons.

I've had five summons delivered to my mail box in the past ten years: every two years, like clockwork, even though it's supposed to be "random." I guess I am just a random type of gal. On the first two summons, my juror numbers were very high, so when I called the recording the nights before, I found out I didn't have to report at all. I was somewhat dissappointed by that, but was assured by co-workers that that was a good thing. Nobody should ever want to report for jury duty, or so I was told. The second two summons resulted in a trip to the courthouse. This was exciting. I filled out the paperwork and settled in with a book, pretending to read but actually spying on those around me. Both times, forty of us were called into the courtroom to begin jury selection. And both times I was singled out for being a pastor's wife and subsequently dismissed. No questions as to whether I could be un-biased, only clarification as to what my husband did for a living.

I was sure that the same result would prevail as I made my way to the courthouse this most recent time, answering my fifth jury summons. After filling out the paperwork and watching an extremely patriotic preparation video, I opened Pride and Prejudice and scanned the pool of prospective jurors.

Time marched on, and two MacWorld magazines and a vanilla latte later, forty of us finally made it into the courtroom to begin jury selection. The judge and two lawyers began the ardguis process of finding just the right group of twelve to fill the box. Not one question was directed at me this time. I was beginning to think I had a chance to make the jury for this week-long trial.

After the judge and attorneys had met in the judge's chambers for their final decisions, they emerged and announced that they would be naming the twelve jurors, plus one alternate. The forty of us waited with baited breath in the back of the courtroom for our names to be among the thirteen that were to be called. It was like the Miss America pageant. As a name would be called, the "winner" would make their way to their newly assigned jury box seat.

I was the ninth name to be called. That placed me squarely in the middle of the front row, right in the middle of all the action. I was so happy to be picked and looking forward to this unique opportunity.

The "losers" happily made their way out of the courtroom and resumed their normal lives. We thirteen, however, began a week in an alternate universe. The trial started immediately. The clerk handed out notebooks and pens to all of us, the judge gave us our instructions, we took an oath, and the opening statements began. We hardly knew what hit us.

Opening statements were all we had time for that day, so we deposited our notebooks and pens in the jury room around the long conference-type table and headed home for the evening, saying polite good-byes to the strangers we would be spending all week with.

At home that night, I proclaimed to my husband that I had met my first goal: being selected for the jury. "What's your second goal?" he asked. Jury foreman. That is what I would be secretly lobbying for now.

Dressed for success, I entered the jury room, grabbed my notebook I'd flung onto the table the day before, and quickly settled into the seat at the head of the table~my first subtle move at becoming jury foreman. There was coffee and water, and plenty of awkward pleasantries and polite smiles coming from this group of "peers" who had no idea what we were getting ourselves into.

The thirteen of us were quite a mixed bunch. There was a hair stylist, a night-shift motel manager, a pharmasist, a receptionist, a state worker, a dental hygeinist, an un-employed man, a group-home manager, a counselor, a shaman's girlfriend, a yoga instructor, a grass-seed salesperson, and me.

I had to quickly assess the situation and try to figure out how, by the time we were to deliberate at the end of the week, this group would automatically see me as the natural choice to be their foreman. Let the games begin. Literally.

We had lots of down time in the jury room, waiting for all those in the courtroom to prepare themselves and decipher intricate legal matters. So, the hair-stylist, having a natural gift of gab, started asking people what they did for a living. This was my opportunity. "I know!" I said. "Let's make it into a little game!" I suggested that we go around the table and try to guess what each person did, based on their appearance and what little interaction we had had so far. People were on board for this idea, so around the table we went.

Whenever we'd be rudely interupted by the proceedings of the trial, we'd just remember who we left off with so that the next time we were dismissed into the jury room we could just pick up where we left off. Everyone was enjoying themselves so well, that there was always a dissappointed "Ahhh" whenever we'd have to somberly file back into the courtroom.

The days went by, and we settled into an enjoyable group of acquintances and friends, of sorts. It was such an odd gathering of people that would probably never get the chance to interact in real life. We enjoyed keeping tallies of different happenings like attorney eye-rolls, objections, jury time-outs (when we'd be abrubtly sent to the jury room so that the judge could scold the attornies), and, our favorite, the pun-count (there was one juror that I affectionately nick-named Mr. Pun. He kept the stomach-churning puns rolling throughout the week).

On the afternoon before our last day, I suggested that we play the game Two Truths and a Lie. That went over huge! They went home that night with their homework: to come back the next morning with two true-to-life facts about themselves and one total falsehood. It would be our job to decipher which of the three tid-bits was the lie. Good practice for a jury, I thought.

We started the game in the morning, and continued on every "time-out" we had.

Then, it happened: both attornies rested their cases. Before we knew it, the judge was giving us instructions on how we were to deliberate. Our first line of business, he instructed, was to elect a jury foreman who would oversee the deliberations, but who's opinion would bare no heavier weight.

We filed into our cozy little jury room, followed by the clerk who placed our paperwork in the middle of the table. He told us to inform him when we had selected our foreman, then he left. At that moment, it was as if every head moved from the door he had just exited, to me. "Shouldn't it be Sharon?" someone said. "That's what I was thinking since day one," someone seconded.

Channeling my best Melinda Doolittle face of humility, I asked if this was ok with everyone, which was an overwhelming yes. I had done it.

So, I stood up and began to suggest that we take an initial vote, when someone raised their hand. "Can we finish your game first?" They actually wanted to finish Two Truths and a Lie first! It was hilarious. So, we finished our game, broke for lunch, and returned to get down to business.

That's when reality set in. We were responsible for drastically affecting the two lives in the courtroom. We were to be the judges. We were to weigh the evidence and pass judgement. We quickly realized that that is not an easy nor enjoyable task. Our initial vote was four yes, four no, and two undecided. We were split right down the middle. Thus began almost three hours of deliberations among these new friends.

Because it was a civil suit instead of criminal, we only needed nine votes to reach a verdict. It went the way I had originally voted, and it was my duty to stand and read the verdict aloud in the courtroom, knowing that I would be relieving one person and devastating another. That was not enjoyable or exciting at all.

I walked away from that experience so thankful that I am not responsible to be the ultimate judge of humanity. God is a righteous and just judge who knows our hearts inside and out. With Him, there will be no second guessing and deliberation.

I did not enjoy passing judgement on others, but I did, however, truly enjoy my time getting to know the twelve others that walked the journey with me.

Sport for thought

2007-07-15T10:35:00.000-07:00

I love sports. I love watching and participating in all kinds of sports.

My older brother made sure that I didn't throw like a girl and that I knew how to make a lay-in. He was an all-star athlete, so I felt privileged to have had my very own private coach at my disposal.

YMCA co-ed basketball started my official sporting career at the age of eight. My main goal in those games was to run down the court faster than all the other kids on the court. I didn't get the ball much in those days. Boys.

Organized softball came to me through church, which prepared me well for high school softball. And thanks to my brother, I had one of the best outfield arms out there.

I started playing volleyball the summer before my freshman year. No one in my family had played volleyball so I had no expert coach at my disposal, but I really loved the sport and worked hard to learn the skills, going to summer volleyball camps and working at home.

Of the three sports I pursued, my middle school only offered basketball. This is when I was first introduced to the world of stats. In sports, you count everything, and I mean EVERYTHING. Assists, rebounds, steals, turn-overs, shot attempts, and yes, even actual points scored. My coach, Mr. Dyck, would post all the stats in his room. By my eighth grade year I had inched my way up to the top of a few of those lists. It felt good.

In high school I enjoyed playing all three sports, one leading right into the other. I was in very good shape and having so much fun.

During volleyball season in the fall, I ate, drank and slept volleyball. My favorite team to watch was the UW Huskies. But when basketball rolled around in the winter, my allegiance quickly changed sports as well. I was in love with the Seattle Supersonics--actually in love with them. I wanted to marry Dale Ellis and have little fuzzy-headed brown babies. I did manage to get my picture with him on center court at Key Arena. That was as close as I got to matrimony. Softball would begin in the spring, as did the Mariner season. Suddenly, all I cared about watching was those boys in blue: Griffey Jr., Buhner, Martinez.

My dad helped me gain an appreciation for Nascar. My Grandpa Kulle showed me how to enjoy watching golf. My brother liked to watch tennis, so that rubbed off on me as well. I loved the Rocky movies, so even boxing was somewhat enjoyable, too.

But there was one sport that I and my entire family had deemed intolerable. We didn't even feel it worthy of the term "sport." No one in my family played it; no one in my family watched it. In fact, it was often the butt of many jokes.

Soccer.

During volleyball season, the locker room was an interesting place to be. While we volleyball girls would be singing "Straight Up," fixing the bows in each other's hair, there would be a whole other kind of breed of girl preparing in an entirely different way for their sport. They were the soccer girls. I did not understand them. They were strange and foreign to me. They were always a little dirty and rough, it seemed. It was quite a contrast to the sparkly white, bubbly volleyball team primping in front of the mirror. At the time, that was the closest I thought I'd ever get to a soccer player.

Then, I bore one.

Yes, out of my womb, came a full-fledged, souled-out soccer player. Gabby lives and breaths soccer. She started playing at age six, because her friend Lydia played. Ben and I thought, well, ok! It'll be fun for a while. At least she'll get some good exercise. Then we'll get her into a real sport.

Nothing doing. After an unsuccessful attempt at basketball (a co-ed team that actually had boys that were born holding a basketball), we realized that it was soccer all the way for our oldest daughter.

So here we are, six years later, armed with all the tools necessary to watch soccer in all seasons: three folding chairs, two enormous umbrellas, one waterproof blanket, rain pants, rain coat, gloves, boots, and the occasional dab of sunscreen. We have learned that soccer games are cancelled for NO reason. We have watched our daughter play in 38 degree rain, and 108 degree sweltering heat.

I have come to gain an appreciation for the sport, and understand the general workings of the game, but after watching my cousin (actually my first cousin once removed) play in his All-Star Little League baseball game the other night, I realized something very significant: soccer is not a very relaxing sport to watch. You see, in my cousin's baseball game, between pitches and innings, I could enjoy pleasant conversation with my family and enjoy the sunshine. It was a lovely evening. But with soccer, the clock never stops. They just keep running and kicking and running and kicking and running and kicking.

Here's my conclusion on soccer as a spectator sport: It is the sport where you ALWAYS think that something is ABOUT to happen, but NOTHING ever does. You can never relax and visit with the person next to you because inevitably you will be interrupted by a roaring "OOOOHHH!!!!" as everyone was SURE that we were about to score a goal. But no. Gabby's game on Friday is a prime example of that. After two intense 35 minute halves, we lost 0-1. One goal in that entire game. The rest was filled with "OOOHHHHH!!"

But, alas, after years of playing other sports, I have successfully morphed into a soccer mom. And I do, in fact, enjoy seeing my daughter participate in something that she loves and is good at. I can appreciate that. I do still play volleyball and softball, but I am first and foremost a soccer mom. And, amazingly, she prepares for the game much like the volleyball breed of my day: singing and primping in front of the mirror. At least I have that.

Go, Gab! You rock!

What's your favorite sports to play and watch?